Journey of Hope and Despair: Season 3
by Zylwe
Summary: The final battle looms near, and the Chosen of both sides grow even more desperate. Two prophesies await, either to be made true or denied. UNFINISHED.
1. Astral Shift

_Two have been lost, one remains. First defeated without any success, the second forced to watch his own failure. Both of them made mistakes. The First used followers that were weak, and her plan was too reliant on the actions of the enemy. The second turned the traitorous planar against him, leading to his defeat at the hands of Hope. But thanks to his efforts, one Chosen and one Guardian perished._

 _Now, I have my plans, and my followers. But mine have been training for this encounter since the first encounter began. This time, I will use no delaying tactic. This time, I'm going in for the kill!_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Astral Shift**

* * *

Old Domino sure is an interesting place. I mean, let's begin with my class. There is the new transfer student who used to be missing persons case, and we got our resident martial artist. Then there's the Academia youth league champion. And finally, a hacker who who is repeating a year after hacking the school site. Our little group could very easily be from a third-rate manga.

And besides, we got a lot more things over here. Last year, we had a mysterious incident. Eight or so bodies were found near an abandoned flat. Cause of death, organ failure. Which one? All of them. Almost simultaneously for everyone. Sometimes I think that my contact is just tricking me, an that feeling only strengthened when he told me that someone had grown a tree inside the place. Oh, and the house had been reinforced into a real bunker, so they had someone important out there.

And me? I'm Anzai Emika, just an ordinary girl whose hobby is to find out interesting things. Not ordinary rumors, like my classmates. Those as well, you never know if there is truth behind them. But I try to find out, unlike those people. Like for example, the sick woman who moved in here some time ago. My sources told that she's from JSDF. But I managed to track down the source, and found out that the rumor had begun when she "accidentally" revealed it to a neighbor. So, I went and asked her about it, and she admitted that it had been a joke.

But today we have first period free, so I am visiting Mizushima-san. She has a weak body, so sometimes she asks us students for help to carry heavy stuff.

 **One hour later**

 _Thanks for your help, Anzai-chan. It was a lot faster with a helping hand._ I understate, and the girl knows it as well. In my current condition, I couldn't have moved the bed at all. I can still keep the house clean, and my body can withstand short walks, but lifting a thing like that would have been too hard. _I won't keep you here any longer, so hurry that you won't be late for school. I'll make tea for you and your friends if you want to come afterwards._ She looks around, checking the bed that she just carried to the guest room. _Are you expecting visitors? If you are, we shouldn't come bother you._

The girl is sharp, but she worries about me too much. _I'm not that weak, Anzai-chan. I can handle a couple of kids making a little ruckus, even if your parents say otherwise._ But this was not what she wanted to hear, was it? _Okay, I admit. An old friend asked if she could come over here._ As I say this, the bell rings, and the girl realizes she is in a hurry. She dashes off with a speed that I would most likely kill me. _I'm 27, but my body is already dying of old age. I was given a year to live by a man who knew much about spiritual damage, and that was a year ago._

The kids have noticed that I never use my right hand, but it isn't because it is paralyzed, like they think. No, it is because the fragment of Cinder had grown stronger, and my hand is incredibly warm. I've lost a couple sets of clothes to burn marks, and I burned a curtain once. Now, there is a barrier of silvery dust around the palm, but even that isn't enough to keep all the heat contained. One day, a string from my soul will snap, and the flame in my hand will envelop my entire body. Silver assured me that Cinder left none of his soul behind in my curse, so at least with my death, there will be only one Planar left. _Wind._

 **After school**

I had cleaning duty today, but it looks like the rest of the crew waited for us. Aki-senpai helped me today...wait, he isn't a senpai anymore. I should really stop doing that. He was a year higher than me, but one day, he hacked to the school's home-site, switching the background images with cosplay pictures. With the teacher's faces photo-shopped in. He is repeating this year, and the teachers still remember that stunt he pulled out. The funny thing is that even with my sources, I am unable to find a reason for him to do this thing.

Aki-kun also has another interesting quirk. He absolutely despises his first name, "Hideyori", so we avoid calling him that. Noboru-kun once did, and Aki disabled his Duel Disk. As expected from our hacker. Oh, Noboru Daiki is the transfer student I mentioned earlier. I really should get these notes clear. Actually, I'll continue after I get these right. This whole chain of events has been very confusing.

 **?**

 _You see the familiar field of pillars, with one shattered one and two sealed ones. However, the chains on the remaining two are breaking. The last Guardians will be released soon._

 **Schoolyard**

 _Okay, one more match before they arrive. Show me your best, Noboru-kun!_

 **[Daiki: 4000 LP] [Hibiki: 4000 LP]**

Both players activated their disks, and the hologram space filled part of the schoolyard. _Okay, Saito-kun. I won the coin flip, so you go first._ Both players drew their opening hands, ignoring the spectators and focusing on the duel. Hibiki was more skilled of the two, but he knew that Daiki would win if he found even the smallest hole in his strategy. The league champion scrolled through his cards, placing one monster and one reversed card face-down before passing his turn. Now, Daiki began his turn.

 _I activate Polymerization, fusing together Merua the Exile and Marie the Fallen to summon the Calamity Herald (2800 ATK)_. The fallen angel and the cursed doll fell into the vortex, and out emerged a celestial creature, armed with horrible claws and dressed in Merua's armor. _Next, I set a card, and then my monster attacks yours._ The fusion vanished into a cloud fo darkness as it prepared for it's attack. Then, the darkness ended and the attacker had been replaced by a face-down monster. _Nice try, but my Book of Moon stopped that one._ His attack prevented, Daiki placed a second monster face-down and ended his turn.

 _My turn, and I flip Magician of Faith face-up to retrieve my Book of Moon. Next, I set a card and summon Dark Red Enchanter (2300 ATK) in attack mode._ The lesser spellcaster vanished, replaced by the red-robed mage juggling two mana orbs. _Next, I boost my monster by activating Arcane Barrier (2300+300=2600 ATK) and then I clear your Herald._ A fiery blast destroyed the defensive monster, and the mage followed by dropping the orb it had just conjured along with one of the earlier ones. (2600-600=2000 ATK). _And since I removed two counters, one card from your hand disappears. Turn end!_

Daiki now had only two cards left, but the one that he had lost had not been critical. _At the start of my turn, Merua and Marie activate._ Some of the spectators looked away as Merua clawed Hibiki, but he was used to seeing intimidating monsters.

 **[D: 4000+200=4200 LP] [H: 4000-100=3900 LP]**

 _I have seen this move too many times! You are just trying to trick me that your set card is Book of Moon, while in fact it is something different. I flip summon Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter (200 ATK)._ The dog stepped on the reversed card, biting into it and flipping it around. Again, some of the specators gasped when they saw Mirror Force explode to shards. _Next, I send three cards from my deck to the graveyard, and summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (1800 ATK). She is a bit weaker than your monster, but her effect evens it up (1800+300=2100 ATK)._ As the trap had been cleared, the Paladin killed the mage and the hunting dog bit into the opponent [T: 3900-100-200=3600 LP].

 _Well played, but it is my turn now._ The opponent had sent two more cards to the graveyard, an now the retaliation strike could begin. _I summon Mythical Beast Cerberus (1400 ATK) and then I set a card face-down. Next, my dog attacks yours!_ The shark and the hound sent a wave of light towards the enemy field, but a strage monster took the blow. _Necro Gardna. At least it's gone now._

 **[D: 4200+200=4400 LP] [H: 3600-100=3500 LP]**

 _That duo of monsters sure is an eyesore. No matter whay I do, your lead increases._ Daiki scanned the field, thinking about his remaining cards. _I summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk (1700 ATK), and the Jain attacks your Chimera._ The paladin rushed forwards, but the familiar field of darkness covered her, leaving behind a face-down card. _And because a spell was activated, Chimera gains 500 attack points (1400+500=1900 ATK)._ The first attack had stopped, but the weak hound leaped at the powered up monster. [D: 4400-1700=2700 LP].

As Daiki took the first hit, people in the crowd began to wonder. _Why did he command the attack?_ But soon, the confusion was cleared by a female voice. _After Chimera battles, it reverts back to original power (1400 ATK). Now, Ehren can destroy it._ The voice belonged to Kaneko Juri, which suprised most of the watchers. _That girl knows about this game? When did she have the time?_ But attention was drawn back to the game as Ehren drop kicked the Chimera, dealing even more damage to Hibiki. [H: 3500-300=3200 LP]

Now, Daiki milled three of his cards after setting the last card in his hand face-down. The opponent began his turn, looking at the duo of cards in his hand. _These are no good. But at least I can do this!_ Flipping over a card in his hand: _Since you control a monster and I don't, I ger to play Cyber Dragon! And then, I will normal summon Apprentice Magician, using its effect to place a spell counter on my Barrier._ The spell had three counters now, and he could release it and his newest monster to draw three cards. _Look what I got! I summon Junk Synchron by playing Double Summon, and call Magician of Faith to my side of the field with it. Now, I tune together my Cyber Dragon and Junk Synchron!_

 **Cyber Dragon (5) + Junk Synchron (3)**

 **Broken things become whole again**

 **forming an ancient beast of modern time**

 **Synchro Summon!**

 **Reassemble, Scrap Dragon!**

The mechanical dragon soared into the skies, absorbing the energy of the magician alongside it. _I don't trust that face down of yours, so lets find out what it is!_ The reversed card was blasted open, and it was Solar Recharge. _A bluff? Well done, Noboru-kun. But now, my dragon clears away Ehren!_ The dragon lowered itself next to the monk, and then bit the monsters head clean off. [D: 2700-1100=1600 LP]

 _That animation gets me every time,_ Daiki shuddered, staring at the Scrap Dragon. _It gets everyone in the beginning, but nowadays everybody seems to run this card. But now, I set a card and end my turn._

 **[D: 1600+200=1800 LP] [H: 3200-100=3100 LP]**

 _I now have Ryko, Ehren, Lumina and Aurkus in my graveyard, so I can summon my ultimate monster, Judgement Dragon (3000 ATK)!_ The giant dragon emerged from a pillar of light, radiating energy to it's surroundings. _Now, I call upon the Judgement [D: 1800-1000=800 LP], destroying all cards in play but the Dragon!_ Light begun to gather inside the monster, the surroundings darkening as the monster absorbed more and more. Then, a pulse of searing light filled the field, destroying all. Or it should have.

Now, it looked like all the power had been redirected at Hibiki. _My Body as a Shield [H: 3100-1500=1600 LP] blocks your monster effect, and allows me to destroy your dragon!_ Now, light returned to the battlefield, but the monster was gone. With nothing else to do, Daiki ended his turn. _You lost. I summon Great Magic Library, and Scrap Dragon destroys it and your monster._ As the last monster was blasted away, Hibiki gave one last warning: _This might be pretty gruesome, so you can surrender now before the Dragon bites you._ But the opponent stood still, looking at the monster that was going to defeat him. _Go ahead. I can take this!_

And so the duel ended. [D: 800-2800=0]

* * *

 _Hi, it's me, Emika, and this is the new and improved preview section. So, are you ready?_

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 **Just who this friend of Mei-chan?**

 **What? Aki-kun is dueling?**

 **Chapter 2- Terrible Deal**

* * *

 _And now, time for some card explanations! The card of today is that fusion monster Noboru-kun called, so let's introduce it:_

 **Calamity Herald**

 **Level 8**

 **Light/Fairy/Fusion**

 **2800 ATK/2100 DEF**

 **"Merua the Exile" + Marie the Fallen One"**

 **If this monster is destroyed by a card effect, your opponent loses 1000 life.**

 _Wow! Powerful stats, and an effect that punishes an opponent for removing it. The main annoyance however is placing the two material monsters to the graveyard where they can start working their tricks._


	2. Terrible Deal

**Chapter 2**

 **Terrible Deal**

* * *

 _So, where do you know Mizushima-san from, Noboru-kun?_ I had already depleted my other information sources about our newest resident, but I wasn't going to let that stand for long. _She knew my mother, but I really don't know much. One day, she just appeared and told me to get out of town._ He clearly wasn't telling everything, but I guess I had to let that pass. His confusion was genuine. _So she looked after you for what...couple months while contacting your relatives? And they just accepted it?_ The boy nodded: _Yep. Mei-san can be very persuasive, and besides uncle agreed that I should stay low while the cult was still being investigated._

 _That woman..grandpa says she has the eyes of a murderer._ Kaneko-chan interrupted my questioning with her strange comment. _She looks through people as if they were only targets._ I had hard time believing this from the frail woman, but the old fighter was seldom wrong. He was a quirky man, but very sharp for his age. _He also said that it was sad that such talent could not remain in this world for long._ As expected, praising a person you think is a natural born killer.

The rest of the day passes, most of our group still unaware of the danger it is soon going to encounter. Only Mizushima-san and Noboru-kun know of what is going to happen. But soon, the visitor will arrive and change this story.

 **Elsewhere**

 _Disgusting! All these humans, doing what they please!_ The young man stands on the rooftop, looking down at the nightlife of the city. _All this disorder just hurts my eyes!_ While one can grasp a glimpse of the person, it would be impossible to recognize him. The air vibrates strangely around him, blurring the observer on the roof. _I would love to punish all of you for your sins, but today I hunt a bigger prey._

The wind picks up, completely obscuring the man. He begins to run inside the whirl of his creation, and steps off the roof. There, his legs hit a platform of solid air, and thus the man runs on air. Towards the sound of an alert in the distance. There he sees a group of men with bottles in their hands, and a liquor store with a smashed-in window. _Not very hard to connect the dots. Four of them, and the one wrapping a bandage around his hand is the one who broke in._

The hunter drops from the heights, moving to the street behind the hunted. There, he allows his powers to fade a little, turning him into a blurred sight again. _No electronic surveillance, check. No onlookers, check._ One of the group is sober enough to spot him: _Hey! You over there!_ The other ones stumble to action with varying speed. But unlike their expectations, the man they spotted does not try to run away, but instead moves towards them. _Nice to meet you._ The drunks stop to process these words, allowing the hunter to speak more. _It is a horrible night to break the law, isn't it?_

The closest one takes the easy option, and throws a punch towards the intruder. It hits the obscuring barrier, and the force dissipates harmlessly. Then, the barrier repels the blow, pushing the fist away. The attacker is not aware of this, so he just sees the man take a punch without flinching and then feels a sharp pain from his bloodied knuckles. _Just what are you made of?_ Then, comes the inevitable counterattack, a punch surrounded by a drill of wind. An attack that can rip a human in half. But this time, the hunter only takes a hand from his opponent, crushing the shoulder.

 _Tough stuff._ The man he punched has gone into shock, and the other three are still stunned from witnessing the battle. _I am the Hero of Order!_ Shouting this, the man uses this opportunity to go on the offensive. One of the opponents falls after a blow in the neck, and the second is downed by a roundhouse kick in the back. The last one manages to swing the bottle he is holding, but it is blocked by a palm strike. _Bad choice!_ Thus, the wind picks again, shattering the bottle and launching the shards into the drunk, each one piercing his chest.

 _This is my power now! Gust, clean the scene._ After this command, the wind picks up, surrounding the victorious hunter and his prey. When it dissipates, nothing remains.

 **Next Day**

This was the day when everything began. Aki-senpai had promised to help one of his friends set up a duel system, and I had and Noboru-kun had tagged along. But the "friend" proved to be unlike our expectations. _Brought others with you, Hideyori? It's like you don't trust me._ My parents had once warned about this guy. Fukui Gorou, an university dropout with a love for gambling who allegedly got his money selling anything to everything.

 _Age: 25, perhaps?_ A cigarette pack somewhat visible from his shirt pocket, but it couldn't have had much effect on his looks until now. But in the end, I couldn't tell much about the man on a simple look. The man turned towards us, having probably noticed me staring at him. I must try to analyze people more discreetly. _Come in. Despite what you might have heard of me, I am no monster. Just a normal guy off the street._

 _A normal guy wouldn't have an duel system in his house, Fukui. And your average man on the street doesn't have a criminal record._ The dealer kept smiling through the boys remark: _Well, most people live boring lives, and if you are even a bit different, they expect the worst of you._ We stepped in, and I was wondering what the connection between the two of them was. Noboru was most likely thinking the same, but his expression was still too neutral to make a read.

A couple of moments later we were in the living room, looking at an opened pack of still disassembled machinery. _Just what you ordered, Hideyori, at a special price just for you._ _Access codes to Duel Online included, three months prepaid. Just hoping that you clear the Reaper a bit faster. But the problem is...some assembly required._ Just like a perfect used car salesman. But just what was this "Reaper" that needed clearing? _Heh. I'm close already. Just one more answer, and that one was easy to find._

After that, we helped assemble the system. I wasn't of much help, but Noboru seemed to understand the system very well. _And this goes to the television...here, and this one is left here and linked to the duel disk._ After some time, the machine was fully operative, waiting for it's trial run. _Come on, boy. Show your friends what you can do._ Aki-senpai seemed to be lost in thought, but Fukui took the controls and soon the text "Duel Online" entered the screen. _I mean, I'm betting on you. And I wouldn't bet on a horse I haven't seen run._

 _So, here we go. Offline mode so that you don't have to make an account, and then AI-5 stars-random deck._ What I understood from, the scanner included in the game went through Hideyori's deck, creating duplicates onscreen. _Here's your duel disk. Good luck._ As Fukui said this, a coin was flipped, making the AI the starting player.

The screen now showed a jungle, and facing Aki-senpai was a thick book. Then, the book was closed, and behind it was a giant snake, weaing glasses for some reason. _Hello. I am the "Wise Snake". Nice to meet you, "Fuku1"_ Everybody turned towards the man who had selected this account name. _What? It seemed like a nice idea at the time._ As we did that, we missed that two cards had appeared on the field, both facedown. A monster and a trap. _What now? It is showing me images of six cards._ _Ah, there. "Search your deck for the following cards, then click "continue". I was wondering how it was going to prevent deck stacking._

After finding the cards, Aki mimiced the opening, ending his turn. _Copying my moves won't make you wisssse._ Another monster card was set _,_ but then one of the reversed cards vanished. A hole had appeared below our monster, and now a bug emerged out of it. _Man-Eater Bug (450 ATK)? Well, I got Soul Rope just for this. As the trap card appeared, the screen froze._

 _[AI: 4000 LP] [H: 4000-1000=3000 LP]_

Then, a robotic warrior wielding a lance dropped to the field. _My Ancient Gear Knight (1800 ATK) beats that bug. What are you going to do now?_ But the AI was unable to hear the shouting for obvious reasons Aki had forgotten in his excitement. _That wasss not very wisssse. Trap card open, Scrap-Iron Trap Hole._ A catapult emerged underneath the foliage, launching the robot into the screen. And right afterwards, giant teeth filled it. [H: 3000-450=2550 LP]

 _You are getting outplayed by a computer. You sure you have what it takes?_ It was hard to tell whether Fukui was jesting or not, but Aki was willing to prove himself. _That snake just ended it's turn, and the only reverse card it has is Scrap-Iron Trap Hole._ The Ancient Gear reappeared, defeating the weak monster that the Wise Snake had left in attack position [AI: 4000-1350=2650]

Next off, the boy continued by playing a spell card. _I seal a card inside Golden Sarcophagus, and it will be added to my hand two turns from here. Then, two cards face-down._

 _You have sssome ssstrategy._ As the snake said this, a spell card appeared onscreen. _Shallow Grave, eh. In that case, I'm setting Ancient Gear Cannon from my graveyard._ The man-eater reappeared face-down, but then the other hidden monster un-stealthed and a penguin appeared in the middle of the jungle (750 ATK). The Penguin Knight let out a fearsome battle cry, sending both machines back to their owner. A sword smashed to the screen, increasing the life lead the bot had [H: 2650-750=1900 LP]. Then, one more face-down monster appeared, and one trap card joined the Trap Hole.

 _A flip-flop deck. Those are pretty rare, but they can be very effective._ Noboru was thinking about the match, Aki was angry at the enemy tactics, and Fukui seemed...intrigued. _Okay, I got this. Ancient Gear Knight, back to the field. Then, Ancient Gear Tank boosts it's attack. (1800+600=2400 ATK). Then, my battle step._ But just then, the screen froze. _Threathening Roar! You can't be serious!_ The anger was clearly visible now.

Onscreen, Dark Mimic flipped face-up, giving the snake a new card. Right afterwards, a tunnel began to form underneath the robotic knight. _No way! I use Skill Successor to boost my monster (2400+400=2800 ATK) and the activate Mystic Wok to sacrifice it before it is killed. [H: 1900+2800=4700 LP]._ Now, three tiny monsters were looking at the open field. _Interessssting. Time to ussse force._ Just as the Wise Snake said this, an explosion hit it. The Ancient Gear Tank had made it's final attack. [AI: 2650-600=2050]

 _Mischief of a Goddess? Never heard of that card._ An unfamiliar spell had appeared onscreen. _So he gets to look at my hand, select a card and set it on my field?_ A prompt appeared as the opponent made its choice. _Limiter Removal. And why would it play..._ Just then, all the three monsters disappeared and were replaced by a giant blob (2800 ATK) _Moisture Creature?_ The new monster destroyed the set card and rammed the screen right afterwards. [H: 4700-2800=1900 LP]

 _The computer is walking over you, Aki._ Fukui was laughing at the latest play. _Come on. You won't win a gamble if you get mad._ As the two were staring at each other, Noboru looked at the screen. _It is very easy to turn this situation around with these cards. You just have to..._ But the sentence was never finished. _No! Don't tell me. I will figure this thing out myself, and beat this reptile. First, I add Machina Fortress from the Sarcophagus to my hand. Next, I'm tossing Ancient Gear Cannon and Machina Fortress to summon the latter from my graveyard._ The giant juggernaut began to form, but was intercepted by the Trap Hole. _I now normal summon Red Gadget (1200 ATK), and discard Fortress and Yellow Gadget._ Both monsters entered the graveyard, but one rose out. The towering tank, Machina Fortress (2500 ATK)

 _And now, I will boost my Fortress with Skill Successor, and then both of my monsters attack you!_ [AI: 2050-500-1200=350 LP] The opponent was reeling back from the strikes, but it still had moves left. A spell card was played, and all monsters were sucked into a black hole. Then, another face-down monster took the field. _Nice try, but I drew just the right card for this. Spider Web allows me to copy your Dark Hole, destroying that monster. And then, my Ancient Gear Knight shall finish the job. [AI: 350-1300=0 LP]_ Now, the Wise Snake was gushing water out of it's eyes. _It's ssso ssaad!_

 _Well played. With skills like that, I am very hopeful that you can...do your part of the deal._ Fukui seemed to have noticed that the two of us were still here, and wasn't willing to discuss it any further. But when we left, Aki stayed behind for a while. But he did not realize I had followed him. _So, you have created the bank account?_ I could hear Aki question. _Yep, just for you. So, if you win, I'll be taking 10%. And if you lose, well...I was already selling the system to someone else. I have no idea what the Reaper does to the people that lose._ I peeked and could see them shaking hands. _Good. Now I can finally get out. I'll be done any time now, so keep the system active._

Just then, I could hear them leaving. I moved away from the door, but could not get fully away. _Oh, you were still here? Any business with me?_ And that is why I left that place without money but with two packs of cigarettes. I had to give some excuse.

 **?**

 _It's funny. Some time ago, I experienced all that. And now..._

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _A world inside our dreams?_

 _Mei-san, you already knew of this?_

 **Chapter 3- The Beginning of the End**


	3. The Beginning of the End

**Chapter 3**

 **The Beginning of the End**

* * *

 **Train Station**

The Burning Hand of Hope, Mizushima Mei, had expected that there was a reasonable explanation for the weird behaviour she had witnessed. But now that she was picking up Kagami, the older girl was not offering any explanations. _She is in a foul mood, but I guess she will explain the situation later._ And later that would be. Mei was not interested in small talk, and the other woman was lost in thought for some reason, so the interaction between the girls was limited to some empty greetings.

Kagami was a Chosen like Mei, but the power she used was the polar opposite of hers. One used the focused, emotion-defying power of Hope, while the other could use the chaotic, emotion-amplifying power of Despair. Any other Chosen of Despair would have been an enemy, but due to a strange quirk no one could explain, she had retained her powers when she had been brought back from the dead, but had lost her affiliation.

 _Since when did you have a driver's license. Mizushima-san?_ The older girl was surprised when Mei directed her towards the parking lot. _I got it on my travels...and the car too. I'll leave that story for later._ _And Kagami-san, please use my first name. We are both Chosen, aren't we?_ As the duo headed for the car, Mei realized the source wrongness that had plagued her since she entered the station. _The air feels stagnant, and it looks like it has magic in it? Either something strange is happening, or my condition is starting to affect my mind._ She could normaly have called Silver to confirm her suspicions, but the dragon had sealed itself in her body some time ago.

 _Does Alice detect anything strange in our surroundings?_ Kagami stopped in her tracks, and soon her guardian materialized. The little girl with a smile of a beast hovered above the ground, her head spinning around. _Lots of magic around here, Master._ Any further questioning down that line ceased as someone moved towards the two and the Guardian faded away. _Ah, Kaneko-chan! Running an errand_? This was a girl from Daiki's odd group of friends, Kaneko Juri. The girl was doing multiple odd jobs, so that would be a logical explanation why she was at this part of the city.

But before Juri could answer, chaos broke loose. The air begun to vibrate rapidly, gaining a reddish hue. It looked like there was a red hole in the ground, and seconds later it began to fill. Nearby cars were sucked into the portal, and the asphalt near it was turning into rock. _What is that thing?_ Kaneko shouted that out loud, and that confirmed two things. This thing was real and not a hallucination. And that normal humans were able to see this thing, and be possibly affected by it. Which was proved a second later, as a man stepped into a deadly range and was pulled into the gate.

Juri felt the wind pull her towards the chaos in the middle. _What is this thing? A hurricane doesn't look like this!_ She grabbed the ground, her nails digging into it as the vortex sucked her in. But suddenly, the pull stopped. Mei had grabbed her shoulder, and was helping her out. Juri noticed that the extended had seemed to have a metallic shine, but pushed that thing to the bottom of her mind. Now, she focused on moving away from the suction. But just as she took the first step, the world returned back to normal. The ground and air were as they had been moments before, but the cars and the people had vanished.

 _What was that thing?_ Juri did not know, Mei and Kagami could only guess.

 **Later**

 _You first, Kagami. Did you predict this thing? Is that why you are here?_ The older woman sighed, thinking about her reasons. _I had no idea there was anything strange going on here. I just...wanted some peace. I mean..._ It looked like Kagami was unwilling to talk about her reasons, but Mei forced her to continue: _...it's Takumi. He is turning stranger by the day. He hated Quake a lot, and all the other planars too. He has been constantly searching for the last one, so I see him so little. And he looks at me...like I was just an insect. As if he couldn't stand looking at me!_

 _So you run away to a safe place. But it isn't that safe, isn't it. The third General is somewhere here, and what happened right there was most likely their work._ The normally emotionless face was now filled with fear. _Did you understand what happened in there? It was Dimension Fusion all over again. A part of the spirit world entered the human world._ Kagami had good reasons to remember the incident, although she had been Scorn when it happened. _But you resisted the pull this time. You pulled the girl out of there._

 _That is the worst part. If it had been a targeted spell, it would have been much worse. I think that was natural. Something is wrong with the Wall. And if the wall breaks...then our worlds will become one. And when two things try to occupy the same space at the same time, they crash._ Kagami had heard enough. _So, what are we going to do?_ Mei simply pointed at the guest bed. _I think that the girl you met might be one of the remaining Chosen. So, I planted a dreamcatcher on her. Now, I will go help her in the spirit world, and_ your _job is making sure my physical body remains unharmed._

At that moment, Mei closed her eyes, beginning the travel Kagami was very familiar with. But her mind was still trapped in the problem that had caused her to leave: _Takumi, what has happened to you? I just want to help you.  
_

 **Elsewhere**

 _I'm home!_ Kaneko shouted as she closed the door behind her. She had finished the errands, but her mind had been on the incident in the parking lot. _Nobody is ever going to believe me. Tomorrow, I'll go talk to Mizushima-san about this._ She walked into the bedroom absentmindedly, automatically dropping her earnings into the small box on the table. She would count them in the morning, not now.

In the bedroom, there was a note from her grandpa. _Oh, he said he wouldn't be here today. Something about a kid at the dojo._ The man was old, but his will to help others had never weakened with age. But his body had, and that was why Juri was responsible for maintaining the dojo. _Why am I thinking about all this?_ It was still early, but she felt incredibly tired. And without knowledge of magic, she couldn't recognize the call of the spirit world.

 **Wall of Sleep**

The two that were bound together by the dreamcatcher would soon see a common dream. And as to mark that one of the was correct, one of the two remaining pillars began to unseal itself. But for now, it listened to the sounds of the souls released, the nightmares that filled their sleep.

 _I never wanted this...never. I refuse to accept it!_

 _You are a wild one, aren't you. But that's what I like about you._

 _Sorry, kid. I can't stay here anymore._

 _So, you are the Burning Hand. Tell me, how many lives have you taken?_

 _You might call me a failure. But I will show you success!_

 _I kinda liked you. A shame to do this._

 _How dare you show your face here! Get out!_

 _Coward! I will hunt you down no matter where you run!_

 _You really had a bad start, and it is getting worse now._

 _This was a victory, wasn't it?_

This was not how the Wall was supposed to act, so the guardian knew something was wrong. But it had to wait to be released before it could help.

 **?**

As Juri woke up, she was stranded on a mountain. The area surrounding her was filled with wreckage of broken cars and motorcycles. _What is this place?_ She turned to look at the whirring sound above her, and saw the crimson gate floating it the sky. The same gate that she had seen earlier before. But she didn't have any more time to think, for a sudden sound from behind alerted her.

 _It's me, Kaneko-chan. No need to worry._ Mei had appeared near her, but something about her was off. The woman was covered in white "static", which rapidly moved around her body. _I guess I owe you an explanation._ The static vanished as Mei sit down, appearing short of breath. _I used a dreamcatcher to enter your dream, but it took a little too much spirit energy from me. I'll be better in a moment._

 _This is my dream?_ Juri looked around at the machine graveyard, trying to absorb the situation. _Not really. You see, normally there is a thing known as The Wall, where all sleeping minds go. But some people, such as you and me, can go through through to another reality. The world of spirits._ Juri listened to the weird explanation: _But I have never been here before! My dreams...they were just dreams._ At this point, the static had already disappeared, but Mei still looked very tired. _It usually takes a trigger to activate this latent ability. And today, when that gate opened...I was correct that it was your trigger._

 _So, what was that gate? Are these the things it absorbed?_ _And what is this..spirit world?_ Juri had many questions, which Mei replied to: _This has happened before only once, and that incident was supposed unique. For some reason, The Wall ceased working, and part of our world was replaced with a part of this world. And when the Wall reactivated, the things that vacuum had absorbed were sent here. You might not want to go back there where the blood is flowing out. It isn't a pretty sight._ Mei pointed at a spot behind the cars, where the ground was covered in a red-brown liquid.

 _And the spirit world? This is the place where duel spirits live._ Just as Mei said this, a rocket-propelled bird flew past the duo. _That was a...Sonic Bird?_ For some reason, Kaneko knew the name of the creature that had passed them. _Yes. I'm not entirely sure what gives us Chosen the ability to recognize spirits on sight, but it sure is handy._ Seeing the confused look, Mei pointed at a puddle of oil that had leaked from a bike. _You should probably look at your own reflection._

The girl that gazed back from the reflection looked strange. Juri normally kept her hair short, but now, she had her long hair tied to a samurai-style ponytail. Her outfit was a strange gi, upon which the text "Hope" was engraved. _It might be a little bit confusing at first, but since you enter this place through a dream, your body here is a little bit influenced by your mind, and somewhat altered by our patrons._

Juri now gazed at Mei, trying to find differences from her. Her outfit also had the same marking, but she looked mostly the same, only somewhat more pale. Actually, she was a little bit taller than normally. And then, her hand. One of her hands was charred black, and a red force was pulsing inside the ashen construct, which was held together by silvery metal strings. _Oh, my war injury._ Now, Juri realized she had been staring at the hand. _A lot of things happened, but basically a spirit of fire cursed it, and then I got some bad injuries, and now my soul is slowly melting away._

 _So, what should we do now. I mean, if I could just sit here until I wake up, you wouldn't be here. So I'm guessing this place can be dangerous?_ As Juri finished this sentence, she could hear large wings flapping above. Then, two winged creatures dashed down, capturing Mei and taking her into the air. Kaneko leaped to her feet, but was too late to stop this attempt. Then, the third creature floated in front of her. A Birdman Joe, if the sense was correct. _Hello! You have entered my territory, and if you want your friend back, you have to fight me!_ The birdman moved to grab something from his back, and Juri dropped to a defensive stance. But the drawn thing wasn't a weapon. It was a duel disk like the ones Daiki and Saito used. _No need to be afraid. You are safe from my gusts until you have lost the duel._ As the creature finished speaking, Juri realized that there was a strange weight on her hand. A disk had appeared there, and a deck was already loaded in. _I guess I have no other choice._

 **[Juri: 4000 LP] [Birdman Joe: 4000 LP]**

Juri stared at her cards, then at the birdman. _I have to do this in ordet to get Mizushima-san back. Now, how did these cards work again?_ Scanning over her hand, the girl found one monster with low levels. _Blast Asmodian (1000 ATK) in...attack mode. And two traps face-down. Your turn._ The opponent drew a card, setting a card and activating a field spell. _This place here is called the Mausoleum of the Emperor, and it has a effect for both sides. By paying thousand life points, you may skip two tributes! So, here I go!_ [B: 4000-1000=3000] Two stone statues emerged from the hundreds surrounding them, and turned into stars. And right after their sacrifice, a huge winged creature descended.

 _Behold Simorgh, Bird of Divinity (2700 ATK)! Next, I activate Banner of Courage, which gives my monsters a 200-point boost when they attack._ But when this spell was activated, Juri activated one of her own. _My Jar of Greed lets me draw a card now! And since we made a chain of spells and traps, Blast Asmodian can use its effect._ A fireball hit Joe, who shrugged off the minor blast [B: 3000-500=2500 LP] Then, Simorgh drew power from the banner behind it, releasing a sharp blast of wind at the opposing monster. _Wait...my facedown should help now. Defense Draw!_ The sickle of wind sliced through the defending monster, bt then stopped against an invisible barrier. _Now, I end my turn._ Juri sighed, having passed the initial assault. _And during my end phase, Simorgh deals both of us a thousand points of damage, reduced by five hundred for each of our spells and traps._ The field spell and the continuous spell prevented damage to one side, but nothing could stop the shockwave on the other. The blast of wind hit Juri squarely in the stomach, dropping her to the ground. [J: 4000-1000=3000 LP]

 **?**

 _I know about the problem with the wall. It is a very important part for some of my plans, but you can't blame Despair for that. There are other things behind the chaos that is going to ensue._

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _I know you can do this, Kaneko-chan!_

 _You were tricked? What are you talking about?_

 **Chapter 4- Where Arf Thou?**


	4. Where Arf Thou

**Chapter 4**

 **Where Arf Thou**

* * *

 **[B: 2500 LP] [J: 3000 LP]**

Juri stumbled to her feet, rubbing her chest. _These clothes must have blocked a part of that blow, or otherwise my ribs might have cracked._ However, the divine bird (2700 ATK) was still standing strong, protected by a face-down card, and her side of the field was completely empty. _My only monster is high-level, and I got nothing to tribute summon it with._ Four cards appeared face-down, and then Juri remembered something. _Wait a second...didn't you say this field affects both of us?_ The Birdman nodded, and two statues appeared on the opposite side [J: 3000-1000=2000 LP]

 _I that case I summon Lighting Punisher in attack mode (2600 ATK)._ The white-haired mage was weaker than the opposing monster, but with her face-downs in play, attacking would be too risky. The Birdman looked disappointed, seeing Simorgh threatened by so many unknown cards. _Four reverse cards. Four! No matter what I do, one of them is bound block it._ He drew a card, and played it instantly. _My Magical Mallet allows me to shuffle three cards from my hand to my deck and then draw three new cards._ No traps were opened in response. _Well look what I got. My Mystical Space Typhoon will clear that card away!_

As the whirlwind approached the card, it activated: _Rush Recklessly gives my monster 700 extra attack points and to it I chain Chain Healing, giving me 500 extra life points. And as chain link 4, I activate Accumulated Treasure, letting me draw two cards._ First Juri drew two cards, then her points increased [J: 2000+50=2500] and her monster grew (2600+700=3300 ATK). Finally, the whirlwind missed its mark. _And because at least three cards were chained, by Lightning Punisher now destroys your monster!_ Thunderclouds surrounded the divine bird, and multiple lighting bolts struck it. Then, the final bolt suddenly changed course, hitting the player behind the bird. _My quick-play spell, Self Tribute, allows me to pay 1000 life points [B:2500-1000=1500 LP] to make Simorgh indestructible until end of turn._

Despite the combo, the bird was still standing. But the boosted magician was now stronger than it, even with the Banner of Courage in play. _You escaped that pretty well, but I activate Dark Room of Nightmares, which increases all of my effect damage by 300._ As the turn ended, Birdman was protected by two continuous spells, while Juri had only a single reversed card in play _. [J: 2500-800=1700 LP]_ This time the martial artist braced for the impact, and barely managed to avoid being knocked down.

 _Master! Free me!_ As Juri drew a card, she heard a strange voice. _Play the card in your extra deck!_ Juri looked at the card that hadn't been previously there, and saw only the levels in the corner. _A level 8 Synchro? If I remember correctly that means if have to use one tuner and one non-tuner and their levels have to be 8._ The monster in play was level 7, and it wasn't a tuner. _I activate One for One, discarding a card from my hand to summon a monster from my deck._ Juri tried to browse her deck but one card leaped out. Effect Veiler, a level 1 Tuner. _Does this thing read minds?_ The Veiler entered the battlefield, and the Synchro Summoning began.

 **Lightning Punisher (7) + Effect Veiler (1)**

 **Tooth and claw, spell and chant**

 **A broken world's broken man**

 **Synchro Summon!**

 **Materialize, Deadlight Tenebra**

Black feathers began to fall from the sky as the spell finished. The kept piling and piling in front of Juri, until they had risen to the level of her eyes. At that point, the pile suddenly collapsed inwards, and a strange creature emerged. It was facing away from Juri, so she could only see a black robe, and a mass of metal wire running along the hands, finally ending in the white braziers hanging from the hands, burning bright. Then, the thing slowly rotated towards its master, hands bound still like it was crucified. The only things not cover by the dark cloth were the clawed hands and the paws. Even the face was covered by a emerald mask and the sealing charm placed over it.

 _I am Tenebra._ The voice could clearly be heard despite the robes, and it was clearly addressed to the Birdman. _I am the dead light._ The voice was filled with anger, on the level the spirit had never encountered before. Not even from the Berserk Dead Dragon. Juri, too, could pick up the tremendous murderous intent even if it wasn't directed at her. But as the monster hand fully formed, its full effect was now visible. _1900 ATK isn't that much, so the effect should be strong!_ And it was: _Now that Tenebra entered play, I may add a Spell card from my graveyard to my hand, and I pick Rush Recklessly._ The robed creature gained more power (1900+700=2600 ATK), but it still couldn't match the opposing monster. _I equip Simorgh with the equip spell, Unstable Evolution._ As the new spell activated, the god bird began to shrink in size, returning to the size that was only a little bit taller than Juri. Then, surprisingly, the bird nodded to the enemy duelist and he made an unexpected move. _Placing the h_ _and over the cards? Wasn't that the sign of surrender?_

 _Well fought, Chosen of Hope._ Despite the duel ending, the divine creature was still standing strong. _I apologize for our methods._ The birdman gave a signal, and soon the harpy that was carrying Mei lowered the duelist before Simorgh. _I'm glad you managed to overcome the curse. And you seem to have changed your tactics a bit._ The new Chosen was a bit confused by what was happening: _Wait a second? You know these people, Mei-san? And why did they attack me?_ It was the spirit duelist that answered: _I actually dueled that girl earlier, when I was still corrupted by a spirit of Despair. And the reason I dueled you was because of my master._ Simorgh continued: _It is conflict that released the other Guardians from their prisons. So, we made a plan to force you into a friendly match, but to keep you unaware of the friendliness._

 _To make my Master think she and the other Chosen was in danger, while there was no real danger at all? You sure are a cunning one, Bird of Divinity._ Tenebra spoke, its speech no longer carrying the killing intent. Juri interrupted her Guardian: _Hey! What are these Hope and Despair everyone is talking about?_ _You lost me._

 **Some time later**

 _So, you are all survivors from a different planet and you are being driven to kill each other. And because that would cause too much collateral damage, you were partnered with humans._ Mei recognized the signs of Hope overcoming the new girl: _She stopped panicking a while ago, and her mind is becoming sharper and sharper. I hope she doesn't allow it to have the same extent as I did._ As Mei was thinking, the red arm suddenly pulsed, heating the air around her. The woman dropped to her knees, holding back her voice. _That was another thing I wished to discuss._ Simorgh waved its wings, clearing the cone of super-heated air. Then, it lowered the wing on Mei's shoulder. _I shall grant you some of my power to protect you. Perhaps it will extend your life for the moment you need._

A whirlwind lifted Mei airborne, keeping her suspended as the spirit energy flowed inside her. Slowly, the wind carrying her began to fill with smoke that was purged out of her body. Soon afterwards, she was gently lowered to the ground. _The power of Cinder is great. I cannot do this again._ After a long wait, the healed woman slowly rose to her feet. _Thank you, Simorgh. It has been years since I had this much energy in me._ The giant bird nodded, and then soared away. _It is time for you to wake. The other world awaits you._

 **Elsewhere**

 _Your death is your own fault. If you had kept your villainous acts out of my sight, then you would never have faced my justice._ The young man shakes his head, staring at the headless corpse in front of him. _No. Not "my" justice. Justice. That is who I am. Gust, dispose of the body._ The partner nods, and a whirling portal appears above the mess of body parts. It sucks in all of the killed man, even removing bloodstains from the ground. Then, it closes again, leaving only a greenish hue behind.

 _Justice, eh. I'm not familiar with the human customs, but doesn't your kind usually think that killing each other is bad._ The young man just smiled: _Well, I'm not your average person. Because I was chosen to receive all this great powers, I also have the responsibility to put them into good use. And what the better use than fighting others that also break the rules, ain't that right!_ The hunter was happy. He had moved to Domino just a week ago, bt he already had established his rule over the streets. Soon, he would have to find a new place to move to. _And then, I am one step close to finding_ " _that person". You with me, Gust?_

The Planar floats behind the host: _Yes, Master. My power is yours. But while we are here, perhaps you could help me as well. The ones who killed my siblings are here._ The hunter stops on the roof, obscured from sight: _If they dared to raised their hands against one of your kind, then they must be the greatest villains of all. Soon, my power of justice will clash with their wickedness. But before that, we must continue our mission._ He points down, having found the next sinner.

 **Next day**

 _Sato Takumi speaking._ From a outside point of view, the Sato household has no problems at all. And that is the image Takumi tries to give to anyone who is not connected to the prophecy, so he calms himself before answering the phone. A hidden number, and a woman on line: _Hello, Sato-san. I have your wife..._ Takumi freezes in place. It's been a week since Kagami vanished, leaving only a short note that explained nothing at all behind. Has she fallen into the hands of an enemy? _I don't know who you are, but if you..._ Then, the other side stops his speech by starting to laugh: _You know who I am. It's me, Mei._ A long pause. _Silver told you to do that, didn't she?_

 _She did. And Kagami came here to visit because of reasons she has decided not to share with me. Some problem with you two?_ Takumi wondered the exact same thing. Had she found out about the secret? _The sixth Chosen awakened here last night. And the seventh is pretty close by. If you are not in a hurry, you could come keep your wife out of my way. And talk over whatever you were doing._ Takumi was very willing to do the first, but unsure of the second. There were things Kagami was better off not knowing. Even if she would hate him for that. _I'll be there. I'll have to make sure things are in good hands, but then I will come._

 _Good. And now that were are clear with this, you can tell me about the spirit disturbance. You must have noticed it._ Of course. It was impossible that Mei could not have noticed it. _Not by phone. I'll send you my research later. Or tell you when I'm there._ On the other side of the line, the woman sounded disappointed: _It won't change, you know. Some day, you have to do it, no matter how much you delay._ With these ominous words, the connection terminated. _That is what I'm afraid of. I hope I can do what I must._

 **?**

 _What? One of them awakened, even though I haven't done anything? Those tricky devils! I was planning on waiting until the perfect opportunity, but now I just have to go with the resources I've got. Let's see, there are only 9 Chosen prepared for battle, but I guess they will have to do. I have a pretty firm grasp who to target, but my current condition prevents me from testing it out. But my ace will be going after that person._

 **Hideout**

 _Yes, boss. Just packing my stuff and then I will be there._ The Chosen of Despair is trapped in a vision, sent by the last General. _What? We'll do it my way? So the person who has been attacking me is the target? What are the chances?_ Then, the contact ends suddenly. _That thing could get a phone. Then it wouldn't have to burn messages directly into my brains._ No one of the chosen knew of the General, and they were in the blind about each other. A paranoid system of ignorance, but the man guessed that the General knew what he was doing.

 _Hope tries to challenge me?_ He boots his computer, opening the secret program tracking his achievements. Normally, he would watch these trophies with pride, but today, he was preparing for battle. _Are you ready, partner?_

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _I need to consult my notes for this one._

 _Hmm, a long-range battle?_

 **Chapter 5-Tour of Death**

* * *

 **New cards in this chapter:**

 **Deadlight Tenebra**

 **Level 8**

 **Light/Beast/Synchro**

 **1900 ATK/0 DEF**

 **When Deadlight Tenebra is Synchro Summoned: Add a spell or trap card from your graveyard to your hand.**

 **After a Chain with 3 or more Links resolves, Special Summon a level 4 or lower monster from any player's graveyard to your side of the field in face-up defense position. This effect cannot activate if multiple cards/effects with the same name were activated in that Chain.**

 _The stats are not very impressive, but this card can very easily get you back the card you needed. And in Kaneko-chan's deck, this card has a high chance of triggering the second effect, creating additional defensive walls to the field. Truly a Guardian to match its master!_


	5. Tour of Death

**Chapter 5**

 **Tour of Death**

* * *

It had taken him half a year to solve the Reapers Run. A hundred increasingly difficult puzzles of different kinds. All hosted on a single website hosted by someone who called themselves "The Reaper". All this work for a promise, written to the top of the site: _Solve my puzzles to unlock the code. Give me the code and I shall duel you. Defeat me and great wealth shall be yours._ The actual sum was given elsewhere on the site, and it was more than enough for Aki. And 10 per cent proved to be irresistible for Fukui Gorou.

The Reaper was a wealthy man. And intelligent as well, but that was something anyone could have deduced from the program he had created. What no one knew was that his wisdom had been twisted from the beginning. His greed was not sated by money, but instead by seeing the plight of those he had ruined to make a fortune. His intellect only worked properly while he planned the ruin of someone else. But in the end, it all had been boring. Until one day...

At heart, Aki had always been a loner. He had always thought more of himself than others of his age. And while those losers were hanging out, he had been happy with his own mind, focusing on puzzles, computers, whatever piqued his interest. But he couldn't escape his parents, and he couldn't escape the surroundings. Those that were lesser than him would become friends or enemies, and thus he had to create a mask that could approach others.

It was a gift that finally awakened the Reaper. A gift from a creature beyond humanity, and the first thing he could respect. After all, even the greatest human was nothing compared to a more advanced existence. And now he had the power to take a person's life by outwitting them, but would he use it on the common trash? No, he had a plan. He would create a puzzle to let only the most intelligent through, and then he would steal their souls.

Six people had already passed the run, but had failed against the Reaper. The names of the defeated were clearly in sight on the website, but Aki gave them little thought. He was most likely a better player than any of the before. He had to be in order to win. So, he activated the duel system, logging on with his new username. He loaded the deck he had scanned before and the searched the player list for the Reaper. Nearby, Fukui was loafing on the sofa, staring at the screen. As the Reaper accepted the code and sent a duel request, the man gave a thumbs-up. Now, it was all up to him.

 **Special Duel Mode**

 **This mode requires a deck with at least 40 cards and a sidedeck of 15 cards. Both players will have 800 life points. A random special rule will be generated for this match, after which you are allowed to side cards before the duel begins.**

Both sides clicked on agree.

 **Color Game**

 **Once per turn, during their main phase, a player may discard a card and then reveal the top card of their deck. If those two cards are not the same type (monster, trap, spell) that player loses 1000 LP. Then, the revealed card is added to the players hand.**

 _So, we can trade bad draws for better ones, but we might take some damage while doing that. I have to keep that in mind._ Aki finished making adjustments, and began the duel.

The enemy figure was a floating skeleton. It looked like the opponent really wanted to keep the theme. _He might play an undead deck. Have to keep that in mind._ But for now, the boy began his turn with a set card and by summoning Red Gadget (1300 ATK), which pulled the partner into the enemy turn began with a message: _Hello. I am the Reaper. Your soul is bet against my money. Do you accept Y/N._ For a while, the challenger pondered, but then he sent a message: _Y. Soul? Does he mean that when he wins, my name will be displayed on his site as another trophy?_

 **[A: 8000 LP] [R: 8000 LP]**

Then, the Reaper began, sending another message as a card entered play. _You have chosen poorly, my friend. Let us see another choice._ Then, Hand Destruction activated. Both sides discarded two cards, drawing two to replace them. Then, bright letters filled the screen, spelling out:

 _ **G A M E.**_ Sakuretsu Armor entered the graveyard, and Poison Chain was then revealed. Onscreen, a toy mallet smashed against the floating figure [R: 8000-1000=7000 LP] Then, Poison Chain was activated, followed by Iron Chain Repairman (1600 ATK), which in turn pulled an Iron Chain Coil (1600 DEF). The entire summoning was finished as the Coil boosted itself (1600+300=1900 DEF) and two face-down cards appeared behind it.

Then the Poison Chain activated, sending two cards from Aki's deck to the graveyard. _A mill deck? I'll show him what I got._ Yellow Gadget followed the red one, pulling the last one out of the deck. _I can use this one to play this game, I need big monsters!_ The Green Gadget entered the color game, and as Gajiltron Dragon flashed out of it, Fukui clapped. _Lucky move, boy._ But despite the good pull, Aki was in no position to attack, so he ended his turn with another reversed card. _Luck is on your side. But time is not._ Iron Chain Blaster appeared on the field, and then disappeared as it used its effect on itself. [A: 8000-800=7200 LP] Then Repairman fixed the strange Warrior, and Coil kept boosting itself (1900+300=2200 DEF).

A turn ended again, and neither side had attacked yet once. Three cards shorter, Aki was thinking: _I have 23 cards left in my deck. I have to go on the offensive now!_ The twin gadgets vanished as the robotic dragon replaced them, one eye now glowing red and the other yellow (3000 ATK). _Two trap cards, but neither of them can be activated in response to my attacks! I need to take that Repairman out first, or else it will just bring back whatever I kill._ Thus, the machine chomped on the hammerer, crushing it beyond recognition. [R: 7000-1400=5600 LP] _And since by dragon dealt him damage and destroyed one of his monsters, he takes 1000 extra points._ [R: 5600-1000=4600 LP] The first attack had been made, and a strong one as well.

 _Call of the Haunted?_ The destroyed monster reappeared as Aki ended his turn, wondering about the opponents next move. Which was activating the color game again, this time with a drawn Iron Chain Snake. But the drawn card was another spell, this time Mystical Space Typhoon. [R: 4600-1000=3600 LP] However, the new card proved to be useful as a tornado ripped over the field to destroy a set Limiter Removal. Then, the Chain returned to play, wrapping itself around the larger creature (3000-800=2200 ATK) Then, the Repairman turned towards the tuner, both of them turning into stars. The textbox came to life at the same time.

 **Iron Chain Repairman (4) + Iron Chain Coil (3)**

 **The one who takes away your possibilities**

 **the spirit that clouds your future in despair**

 **Syncro Summon!**

 **Reap, Iron Chain Harvester!**

This monster looked kinda like the Repairman, but it held a scythe instead of a hammer and was much taller, but not enough to reach the gigantic machine. And notably, this one had a skull tattooed to its muscular bare chest. A skull that seemed to be cackling. (2400 ATK) _I have no idea what this monster is, but it is stronger than my Gajiltron. But the moment it attacks...I got it._ Then, another message from the Reaper: _What do you think of my Guardian? Looks strong, but you haven't seen anything yet._ Then the opponent began to lose life points as the scythe wildly swung around [R: 3600-3*300=2700 LP]

Then, Golden Sarcophagus, Spider's Net and Soul Rope were revealed from the top of Akis deck before they entered the graveyard. In response, the Harvester released a blast of purple light sending the reversed trap card back to its owners hand. After that, a green aura surrounded the monster as it dashed towards the large robot, cutting it into pieces. [A: 7200-200=7000 LP] As the scythe stuck to the screen, it also pulled a Machine Duplication away from the hand area and into the discards. Then, the chain wrapped around the pieced of the Gajiltron detonated, sending 8 cards from the deck to the graveyard. Finally, the smaller monster smashed to the unprotected screen, and then disappeared from sight with its own ability. [A: 7000-1100-800=5100 LP]

 _He sure made a comeback with that thing!_ Fukui was commentating from the sidelines, but Aki did not react. He was surrounded by something unfamiliar. A strange feeling had been filling his entire body from the moment the Harvester had started cutting at his cards. It was like an electric shock at first, but now it was something less subtle. _I must be nervousness. After all, I have never been in a bet with quite this high a wager. Now, I just have to get through that guy and get rid of his remaining points before he can deplete my 11 cards._ Thus, Aki went through the 5 cards in his hand. One was the card that had been returned but none of the others was useful: _Come on, game, give me a good card!_ Then, he highlighted Ancient Gear Engineer from his hand and pressed the button of the color game.

Scrap-Iron Scarecrow emerged from the portal, among with the cartoony mallet [A: 5100-1000=4100 LP]. Two cards were set, and then Ancient Gear Knight (1800 ATK) hopped to face the Guardian. _A weakling like that? Is the fear of the Reaper paralyzing your brain already?_ Again, the effect of the enemy Guardian activated [R: 2700-900=1800 LP]. This time, Skill Successor, Ancient Gear Cannon and Ancient Gear Tank were discarded, and the purple blast once again bounced one of the reverse cards. _I need to make him attack me. If he just skips his battle step now, the Poison Chain will reduce me to 6 cards. But is he willing to test whether he got rid of my Scarecrow or not?_

The opponent was quite willing, and the Harvester surged in orange light (2400+600=3000 ATK). The greenish scythe move towards the robot, but at that moment, a trap sprung. _I activate Mirror Force!_ Shining light filled the screen as the scythe scraped against the holy barrier, but it was hopeless. But at that very moment, it proved not to be. The skeletal figure that had been floating on the field smashed against the barrier, helping the Guardian break it while taking damage from the entire power of the reflection [R: 1800-1500=300 LP] _My Body as a Shield. A risky move, but life is a resource, and 300 is 300 away from 0._ Then, Aki realized that nothing had stopped the blow of the Harvester.

Ancient Gear Knight was cut in half, and the slice was powerful enough to cut Scrap-Iron Scarecrow from the hand. [A: 4100-1200=2900 LP] _You seem to be in a bad shape, kid. Are you sure you can win this?_ Fukui was asking a good question, but Aki was smiling. _I got this. That hit did not discard my Monster Reincarnation, so I can use it to take back my Ancient Gear Cannon. And since he burned that much life, all I need to do is sacrifice it for 500 points of damage._ Despite the strengthened unnerving feeling, the boy was happy. Soon, the money would be on his secret account, away from the reach of his parents. This money would not go to their hopeless projects, like his earlier earnings. No, he would not be exploited again. With this victory, he was free to do whatever he wanted.

 _Are you done gloating?_ The Reaper sent one final message. _Sorry to get your hopes up._ The face-down card that had been on the field since round one was finally activated. It was Cemetary Bomb, and thus Aki was surrounded by all 31 cards in his graveyard. Each of them released a shock at the owner at the same time, as if they had been disappointed in their handler. [A: 2900-3100=0 LP]. _No, no, no, nonononononononoooo. Are you kidding me! Are you kidding me!_ With tears in his eyes, Aki dropped to the floor. _Cheer up. I have a consolation price for you._ The skeletal figure was floating in the victory screen, but the Reaper had sent him a message. _You don't have to live with the shame of losing to me. I will take your soul now as promised._

It was over, but the Harvester was there, standing in front of the boy. _Can you see this thing, Fukui? It isn't on the screen!_ Fukui shook his head, unaware of the monster that was attacking. The Guardian lowered its weapon, tapping softly on the duel disk, before slashing at the system it was attached to. It moved through the television without harming it, but the screen began flickering on and off, and strange colors appeared on it. Then, the duel disk sparked, and Aki began convulsing as electricity ran thought his body, emptying his mind of all but pain.

Pain and the spirit in front of him, which pressed the tip of the weapon at his chest. And then drove it right into his boy screamed one last time before oblivion took him. But as for Fukui, all he saw was the system malfunctioning, his business partner taking a shock, then stopping to clutch his chest, and finally the now-lifeless body on the ground. _The police will have a field day with this one,_ he thought as he began to pile his merchandise to the secret stash. _Hideyori, that was no natural death. What on earth have you dragged me into?_

 **Elsewhere**

 _One down, now three left. All units, Reaper has finished his mission, you are free to move._ This mental broadcast filled the town, to be heard by the remaining Chosen of Despair. The second General had taken secrecy very seriously, but in this case, no one was allowed to discover the truth of the third one. Thus, the Chosen had to be contacted with this crude method: _Mizushima will most likely hear this. And even if she is weakened, she will most likely kill one of my agents, so I have to make sure they stick to their targets._

But Mei was not the only unwanted person to be listening. Somewhere hidden in the city, Gust heard everything.

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _I'm being targeted!_

 _Can anything help me?_

 **Chapter 6-Symbol of Heritage**

* * *

 **New cards in this chapter:**

 **Iron Chain Harvester**

 **Level 7**

 **Earth/WarriorSynchro**

 **2400 ATK/2000 DEF**

Up to three times per turn: Pay 300 life points, then send the top card of the opponent's deck to the graveyard. Then, activate the effect corresponding to that card's type. Each of the following effects can activate only once per turn:

Monster: This card's original attack becomes 3000 until end of turn.

Spell: This turn, when this monster deals battle damage to a player, that player must discard a card at random.

Trap: Return a set card to it's owner's hand.

 _This card is really up to luck, and it costs a lot of life points to keep using the effect. But it quickly eradicates the enemy deck at the same time it destroys their hand and field. Like I thought, these Guardians are really something else. But no matter how strong you are, Reaper, you will pay for what you did!  
_


	6. Symbol of Heritage

**Chapter 6**

 **Symbol of Heritage**

* * *

 _So, what on earth is going on over there, Mei? Things related to your people?_ The boy on the other side of the call had most likely heard things about the current happenings Neo Domino. _Yes. Please don't get involved, Red. This is something even worse than Rome._ "Red" audibly gulped before continuing: _That bad? You guys really know how to increase the stakes before the final showdown. So, how's your condition?_

 _I't going to kill me, but I still have some time left._ For someone less familiar with the girl, hearing her talk so frankly about her death would have been unnerving. But Red knew her...not very well, no one did..but well enough to expect it from her. After all, she was the one that had pulled him out of that hell. After walking in with him first. _It's an ancient war after all. After all this secrecy, the final clash needs to be somewhat dramatic._ He knew enough of the drama involved, and did not want to know anything more. _I'll stay on the back lines for this. And speaking from there, I got what you ordered last time. I sent it over to you, so you can pick it up soon._

 _Any problems getting it? If you need money to cover your purchase, just ask. It wasn't that cheap._ Mei's rapid-fire questions were quickly shut down: _Hey, hey, hey. Forgot who you are talking to? You saved my life, Mei. And then got me married off, which counts a bit against saving it in the first place. I've got a debt to repay, and this was a small thing. And by the way, she wanted to say hi._ Mei had instructed the boy to use only the call sign and not to mention other names on the line. To reduce the possibility of becoming a target. _Sorry I couldn't attend the wedding. I had to delete a sentient magical computer virus._

 _You know, with your powers, I can't really tell if that was a joke or the real thing. I presume the latter. But...goodbye._ Mei and Red both knew that this might be their final contact. He wanted to continue his newfound life without magical interference, and she would not stray from her path nor allow other to stray into it. _It was fun while it lasted, partner. Goodbye._ Mei finally ended the call, erasing the number from her phone. One more link to her past was again gone.

 **Elsewhere**

 _I noticed that he wasn't at school today, but!_ Gossip had already began to spread about the death of the classmate. _I heard it happened at Fukui's place. Accident, he says, but the police..._ This time, Emika was glad not to be the first to encounter the news. All the speech around her had turned into a blur, which of she could separate a word or few. _I mean, that guy is always there when something..._

 _But wasn't Hideyori the one who..._ Yes, he had been somewhat of a local celebrity after the stunt he has pulled off. He had been a strange person, but still a friend. Although Emika had run into death before while searching for news, this was the first time it had struck this close. She tried to reason it out, but couldn't focus enough to do it. So, she stayed where she was. Alone at the cafeteria table.

Until someone moved near her. Emika looked up, noted that it was Daiki, who was similarly distraught. Both of them stayed in silence, until the pressure to speak finally won. _Aki-kun..at Gorou's place?_ She couldn't utter the verb. _Yep. From what I heard, he was testing the system, and got a shock from it. And he..didn't..._ Something clicked in Emika's mind: She remembered the deal Gorou and Aki had made some days ago. _I need to check it out. I need to find out the truth._ Sadness gave way to resolve, as the girl rose to her feet and left the confused boy behind. Daiki would have followed her if he had not received a phone call at that very moment.

 **Moments later**

 _Of course this place would be closed. The police must have taken Fukui for questioning._ Just as Emika was about to lave, she noticed a light from one of the windows switch on and off. She wondered for a moment, but then tried the front door, which opened to a dark hallway. _Is someone here?_ She wondered whether she should shout something out loud, but decided against it. After all, she was technically an intruder. So, she stayed quiet until she reached the room she had observed eariler. As she stepped further into the room, she noticed that the window she had looked at from the outside had been covered with a poster.

 _Hello._ Someone stood behind her. _Curious, aren't you. I was looking for an opportunity to corner you somewhere, and this place was a brilliant spot for that._ Emika turned around as the strange woman was speaking, soon realizing the the only door out of the room was blocked. _You may call me Ghost._ The speaker was a -perhaps 20-year old- woman whose upper part of face was covered by a pair of blackened goggles. The lower was occupied by a predatory smile. _What do you want from me?_

 _The question is what you want from me. Don't you want to know the truth about your friend? I can tell you all about the Reaper, just for a small price._ Reaper. That was the name Aki had mentioned before. _What price?_ As an answer, the woman raised her hand, showing a duel disk. _Defeat me in a duel and there is no price. Lose and you find out first hand._ Emika was surprised by this strange offer, and noticed a small problem. _I have no disk, and my deck is home._ But as she spoke this, a disk appeared at her feet as if it had been placed there by an unseen force. Emika picked it up and saw that a deck had been loaded into it. _Reproducing a choice of cards is easy for us. And its completely fair. That thing knows what things you play, but it won't tell me._ As Emika scrolled through the deck, she noted that all cards were the same as her usual deck.

 _I have to do this. To find out the truth. And I guess that if I refuse, she will just make me pay the price anyway._ Filled with determination, she activated the system and began the duel.

 **[G: 4000 LP] [E: 4000 LP]**

 _I start by playing Mathematician_ (1400 ATK) _whose effect allows me to place one card from my deck to the graveyard. Then, I set two cards face-down._ Emika had no idea what to expect from the deck, and decided to fix that. _I Normal Summon Cyber Esper (1200 ATK) and play Hand Destruction._ Both players discarded two cards, drawing two. _And now my Esper forced you to reveal all cards you drew!_ Numinous Healer and Divine Dragon Excelion were revealed. _Now, I equip my monster with Black Pendant (1200+500=1700 ATK) and attack._ No trap activated, and the defending monster was destroyed [G: 4000-300=3700 LP] allowing Ghost to draw a card, which was revealed as Grass Phantom. _One set card and your turn._

Ghost drew Anchor Knight and immediately played it (1500 ATK). _You looked at my hand already, so might as well._ The monster prepared the strange weapon and swung it at high speed as it's owner discarded her hand [E: 4000-3*600=2200 LP] _Then I activate Deal of the Phantom, increasing the attack of my monster by 500 since I have 5 monsters in my graveyard._ The powered-up (1500+500=2000 ATK) monster smashed into the Esper, breaking it apart. But as the monster was destroyed, the curse of the pendant it had been wearing activated.

 **[G: 3700-500=3200 LP] [E: 2200-300=1900 LP]**

 **Elsewhere**

 _It wasn't that strange that someone challenged Saito-kun to a duel. After all, he had the title of a champion. So, at the same time I was facing down Shadow, he was approaching his challenger, not yet aware of the strange things going on._

Hibiki entered the familiar game room, but something strange was going on. Usually, there would be a lot of players there, but now it was completely empty. Apart from one figure in the sitting on a chair in the corner, who he guessed to be the challenger. He greeted the stranger, but got no response from the pile of black clothes. _Hey? You awake?_ He walked over to the figure and tapped it on the shoulder.

To his suprise, the clothes crumbled and fell to the ground as if there had been no one inside them in the first place. Then, he heard footsteps from behind to see...

 _What is that!_

It was a horror. A creature that made his mind freeze. Some buried instinct told him to run, but his legs were bound in place, his mind losing control of his body.

 _I have to run...or it will kill me!_

Then, suddenly, he was free of the grasp, and he saw the true form of the creature. It was a boy in mid-teens almost his size, but what first hit Hibiki was just how sickly thin the boy was. Then, he noticed the face covered in scars, some of which horribly inflamed some looking like lash marks. One eye stared at him while the other, milky white, was in the socket starting at nothing. Looking downwards Hibiki was the hands covered in bruises and scars. He felt sick, but tried to keep his face neutral. _You aren't good at that. They called me a scarecrow behind my back before Despair took me in. Only now I accept it. My purpose is to cause fear.._

 _Despair?_ Hibiki tried to step back, but the boy was again replace by a torrent of raw fear. He tried to resist, but ended up losing control of his legs and collapsing. _Let's just say: You came here to have a duel, and now we will have one. But if you lose, you lose a little more than just your title. So, let's begin._

 **[H: 4000 LP] [S: 4000 LP** ]

 _Who is this guy? What does he want from me?_ Hibiki began the duel by setting a card. _He is not a human. Not with that power of his._ He hadn't said anything, but the opponent still began to speak. _I am a human, Saito Hibiki. Just a special one. And you have potential which cannot be allowed to exist._ Scarecrow then started to laugh: _No, no, no. I am not reading your mind. I am reading your fear of the unknown. As long as you fear it, I can see it. So, better keep your mind calm._

 _In that case, I summon Rapid-Fire Magician (1600 ATK) and activate Arcane Barrier. Next, I play Spell Power Grasp, allowing me to place a counter on Arcane Barrier and add another to my hand. And since I activated a spell card, my monster deals 400 damage to you._ One orb flew away from the ones surrounding the spellcaster, hitting Scarecrow in the stomach. [S: 4000-400=3600] He reeled from the hit, gasping for breath. Finally, he managed to get up and start his turn: _Fear of hurting me? How noble of you._

 _I activate my spell card One for One, discarding a card to special summon Skull Servant from my deck. Then, I tribute it to summon Vampire's Curse (2000 ATK)._ The one-winged vampire now hovered over the magician, ready to attack. _Destroy his defender!_ The monster swooped to attack, but began to quickly decrease in size during the descent. _My spell card, Shrink, halves the power of your monster!_ (2000/2=1000 ATK) The weakened monster was no match for the defender and was destroyed easily. [S: 3600-600=3000 LP]

 _No fear, huh. You success gave you courage. But as my monster dies, I may pay 500 life points to bring it back stronger again! [S: 3000-500=2500 LP]_ Blood gushed out of the boy's many wounds, covering the ground in red and making something beneath the ground stir. _Now, I set a card and activate Everliving Underworld Cannon._

Apart form the one set card, the field was now open. Hibiki had the opportunity to finish the match, but no cards to do it with. _I play my second Spell Power Grasp, adding a counter to my Arcane Barrier. [S: 2500-400=2100]. Then, I normal summon Crystal Seer (100 ATK)._ The smaller mage attacked first to see if the trap would be activated, but it was not. [S: 2100-100=2000 LP]. The first attack has gone through but Hibiki did not know whether he should continue. _Your fear returned. With one card, all your courage vanished. With resolve like that, there is no way I could lose._

 _I will show you my resolve! Rapid-Fire Magician, attack!_ All the magical orbs flew towards Scarecrow, who seemed to have been expecting this. _I activate my trap card!_

 **Elsewhere**

 _You said earlier that you had information on the third General. That you and Silver had discovered something._ Kagami was finally getting up to speed. _Speaking of which, are any others heading here?_ Mei nodded: _Chiyo is heading over here with Amane. If I'm right, we need a lot of help._

 _It took a while before Amane confided to me about her encounter with the Devourer. He had already met it a couple of times before, but she told me about it being the third General. But it made no sense. Why would it serve the two others? Why would Quake have access to its power? And human that is not a human? What does that even mean?_

 _Is Takumi coming here as well?_ It was quite normal that Kagami would ask this, but something in her tone was strange. She sounded all too happy about the prospect of meeting him given the current situation. _I had to inform him, sorry. We need everyone here,_ Mei answered, and confirmed her initial theory about the friend's condition as she began to explain: _I mean, I came here to avoid him, so it is not that good. But we need to talk things over, don't we. And perhaps you could help me that?_

 _Possibly. But what is was saying about the Devourer was that Silver made some research. When the Source exploded, something strange happened to the third General. Its body was very unstable to begin with, and the surge of energy somehow washed the soul away from the body. As it emerged the spirit world, the soulless body should have vanished. After all, a soulless thing can't become a spirit._ Kagami had been listening intently _But that didn't happen, I guess?_

 _It didn't. For some reason, the body grew limited sentience from the energies of the destroyed beings, and became the Devourer. A thing drawn to souls because it lacks one itself. And a brilliant weapon for the other Generals._ _And even though we call it „The", it is not. There might be a army of those things, all bound by the same network of sentience. And when Amane was implanted with the Devourer cells, the mind-net controlled her. Until it decided that the Guardian was too dangerous to control, and made the cells commit suicide to break the link between them._

 _How did you find out all of this? Is it all just a theory? Have you asked Takumi or Chiyo..._ Mei shook her head, interrupting the questioning: _Nope, and nope. As for finding out, let's just say that a friend in the spirit world found me a creature possessed with the Devourer cells. I made contact with it, and managed to speak to the mind-net before they had to destroy the outlet. I was too weak, and it would have killed me if it weren't for my helpers._ Now, Kagami saw the other part of the problem: _And what about the soul that was washed away? What happened to it?_

 _That is a good question as well. As it had no body..._

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _This strange power...I feel it inside me._

 **Chapter 7-Jigen Bakudan**


	7. Jigen Bakudan

**Chapter 7**

 **Jigen Bakudan**

* * *

 _I activate my trap card, Shock Rebirth! I discard my last card, and your attack is halved in power! [S:2000-1600/2=1200 LP]. Then, I may special summon any monster from my graveyard with less attack than the damage I took, which includes my Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower!_

The undead monstrosity rose from the grave (400 ATK), activating the Continuous spell in play. _Since I special summoned a Zombie, my cannon fires now!_ And the cannon did, blasting a mass of necrotic ooze at Hibiki. [H:4000-800=3200] As the boy collapsed under the life-draining energy, he knew why Scarecrow had reeled back from the earlier hits. _It is all real. The damage is real._ As his body lost his strength, he felt everything leaving him. _Why fight. Just surrender and it will be all over._

 _He is losing this fight. His mind is covered in fear, and soon he will give up. I guess he wasn't the Chosen after all._ But right as Scarecrow began to taunt, he felt something well up inside the boy. Something that was blocking his fear-reading skills. As his connection was suddenly severed, the Chosen of Despair reeled back as if he had been stabbed in the third eye. But all Hibiki knew that some force inside him had broken free of the enervation. _I continue my turn. By sending my Crustal Seer and Arcane Barrier to the graveyard, I may draw two then I activate Magical Mallet, shuffling my three cards to draw three more._

As the spell activated, the remaining spell caster released another orb at Scarecrow, who was caught off-guard by it. [S: 1200-400=800 LP] Given with the earlier distraction, the ball to the legs was enough to sweep the legs from under the fear-user. _Two spells I can play. Just any two spells!_ But Hibiki did not have the luck to finish the match right there, so he settled to setting another face-down.

 _This is enough! At the start of my turn, my monster returns!_ A coffin rose from the ground, and Curse stepped out of it lips red with blood _(2500 ATK) And that activates two effects! First, you send two cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard. Second, my Cannon fires again!_ But this time, Hibiki felt nothing as his points dropped [H: 3200-800=2400 LP] _He is protected by something. But is that a Guardian? A latent psionic ability? Is he just a freak with amazing self-control? All I know is that he has no fear. The first person I have met to have an absolutely fearless state._

 _I have to end him._ The Chosen of Despair drew a card, summoning Black Salvo (100 ATK) in attack mode. Curse then attacked the magician, and soon followed a blast of energy from the tower and a hit from the living bomb [H: 2400-900-400-100=1000 LP] _No reaction, figures._ Scarecrow was going mad from all this. He had grown to like his fear-sense, and a person completely immune to it just made him..well, scared. And he did not like that feeling. _I have to erase you. You are a monster!_

 _Pot, meet the kettle. Monster, says the guy who can read fears and scare people with their presence._ Hibiki had no idea why the attacks didn't hurt, but he had got to a conclusion after the taunting had stopped: _I am no longer feeling pain and he is no longer seeing my fear. I have gained a resistance to his tricks. Now, I just need to goad him into making a stupid mistake._ Based on the Scarecrow's face, the Chosen of Despair had made a plan. _I will summon my Guardian now!_

 **Curse of the Vampire (6) + Black Salvo (3) + Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower (3)**

 **As the living despair of death**

 **dead shall be returned to life!**

 **Synchro Summon!**

 **Shield me, Boundary Fortress**

Massive walls emerged from the ground at the same time as towers descended from the sky. Bolts of lighting flashed on top of the construct. A castle had been built between the duelists. _Where is the monster?_ Then, suddenly, Hibiki realized that the wall was not solid. It convulsed as the souls it was built from kept shifting. And then, a gaping maw opened from the middle of the wall, and the towers opened their eyes. (3200 DEF)

As Hibiki started his turn, a eerie sound began to play from inside the maw. The castle was singing, and the voice was unexpectedly beautiful. And as the tune was complete, an ethereal version of Crystal Seer flashed into being on Hibiki's side of the field. (200 DEF) _I officially have no idea what is going on._ But something was strange with the new monster. A red cord was emerging from its back, connecting it to..him. _A red string of fate. No, this is not a string, it is more like a vein._ As to answer Hibiki, the thing pulsed.

 _So, you gave me a monster. That is what your wall does?_ But the opponent was no longer in sight, and Hibiki realized he was quite literally talking to a wall. _Well, I see no options here but to set another card. And then, I tribute this ghost to summon Darkred Enchanter (2300 ATK)_. As the ghost vanished, the cord snapped off as well. And with it, blood blasted out of the spot the vein had been attached to. [H: 1000-500=500 LP] World turned red as more and more blood poured to the ground. _This has to be an illusion. There is at least two liters of blood on the ground right now, and if I had lost that much, I wouldn't be thinking this rationally._ As to admit the point, blood flow ceased at that moment and the wound closed. _But that hurt..is it because that Guardian thing he mentioned?_

As the opponent began their turn, the melody began to play again, and the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower (1500 DEF) resurfaced as a ghostly apparition, a red string attaching it to Scarecrow. _And since I summoned a Zombie, I can deal you 800 points of damage with the Cannon._ A blast of miasma flew towards the opponent, but was stopped by a strange stone pillar. _Energy-Absorbing Monolith can turn any effect damage I would take into healing! [H: 500+800=1300 LP]_ The opponent did nohing else on their turn, and the ghostly Crysal Seer re-emerged as the turn switched.

 _So, that thing gives a monster back to the turn player. And if you lose that monster, you lose 500 points. Meaning next turn he can just bring back Curse, deal me 800 with the cannon and 500 by killing my Seer._ As the boy began to think how to turn the situation, he suddenly saw a glow from his extra deck. _Use me. Defeat the enemy._ This was another mystic power, but for some reason it felt trustworthy. It didn't feel like the fear manipulation earlier. _A level 9 Syncro with a blank box. I could summon it, but does it do me any good?_

 _Do you have anything else?_ The card was more and more tempting by the moment. _I activate the effect of Dark Red Enchanter, reducing its counters by 2 to discard a random card from your hand. Then, I summon Junk Syncron._ There were no other methods. He had to summon this thing, no matter what it was. _A little trust, partner. Just call me._

 **Dark Red Enchanter (6) + Jnk Sychron (3)**

 **The one who never misses his mark**

 **the sharpshooter from the lonely road**

 **Synchro Summon!**

 **Lock and load, Spellshot Pollux**

Out of the tuning circle stepped the final guardian. At first, the creature was like a sandstorm in the shape of a human, but then it began to take a more stable form. Sand settled down, turning into a set of dusty clothes. Hands emerged from the central mass, holding large pistols. The body slowly turned more and more normal, until finally the spirit slung a large straw hat from its back to the air, catching it with its head on the way down. (250 ATK) _I am Pollux. Nice to meet you, Master._

As the monster introduced itself, the text on the card turned visible. It was a confusing effect, one that would take a real pro to use well. Luckily, the real pro was right there. _When I summon Pollux, I get to draw a card!_ Hibiki needed a good draw to turn the situation around. And he got it. _I play Toon Table of Contents, adding another one to my hand. And since a spell entered my graveyard, I banish it to reduce the defense of your monster by 300. (3200-300=2900 DEF) Then, I repeat it with my second Table, and use the final to search for Toon Cannon Soldier. (2900-300-300=2300 DEF)_

Whenever a spell entered the grave, it turned into a bullet that Pollux shot into the wall. And now that the wall had been weakened enough, it was time. _Pollux, destroy that wall._ And the Guardian did destroy it. A single shot hit the monster right in one of the oversized eyes. But Scarecrow still had a trick in store: _As my guardian dies, so do all monsters that it summoned!_

 **[S: 800-500=300 LP] [H: 1300-500=800 LP]**

 _I got this. I left Mezuki in my hand in hopes he would discard it with that Magician. Next turn, I just banish it to summon any Zombie, and the Everliving Underworld Cannon finishes him off._ But Hibiki had not finished his plays. _I'd say that I am sorry if I were. But now, since a monster entered my graveyard, I banish it to deal 300 damage to you._ A orange light flashed, and a bullet sunk into the head of the Chosen of Despair. [S: 300-300=0 LP]

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

 **[G: 3200 LP] [E: 1900 LP]**

Ghost had just made some very successful plays, but for some reason she seemed to be in pain. _The damage from black pendant can't be it. Something strange happened to her._ After all, Emika was unaware that an awakening of a Guardian of Hope could stun Despair.

 _You ended your turn, so here I come. I normal summon Helping Robo for Combat (1600 ATK), and then use my reversed card, Trap Booster. I discard a card, then play Blast with Chain from my hand._ The bomb wrapped around the machine, powering it up (1600+500=2100 ATK). Then, the monster rolled over the defending warrior. [G:3200-600=2600 LP] _Then, I look at the top card of my deck and place it to the bottom._

 _Amazing, but I activate my Soul Rope, paying 1000 life points [2600-1000=1600] to summon Disciple of the Forbidden Spell (1700 ATK) from my deck._ Neither player had cards left at this point. As Ghost drew a card the room distorted. _Yes! With this, I can summon my Guardian._ But something stopped her. _Without it? Master, why?_ Something was speaking to Ghost. _I understand, yes. I will do as ordered._

 _I normal summon Jutte Fighter (700 ATK), who switches your Robo to defense (0 DEF)._ The lesser monster defeated the defender, and the Disciple was free to go face. [E: 1900-1700=200 LP] Emika was very low on points, and now needed a lucky draw to reverse the situation. And she got it.

 _Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode (1800 ATK)_ But now, she was facing a difficult puzzle.

 _I could destroy the strongest monster now. If she draws a power boost, that Disciple could very easily overpower my monster and defeat me. But if I leave Jutte Fighter alive, it can move Gearfried to defense with 1600 points. If she then draws another big monster, it can destroy it and Jutte can go for the kill. But which one? The only power boost I have seen was the Deal, but she might run multiple. Her deck seems to be running mostly small monsters...but there is that tuner. She was persuaded not to summon the guardian she was talking of, but she might have something else._

 _And anyone who runs them runs three Disciples. If I destroy that one, if she draws a second, I lose. I have to do it this way._ Emika cleared her mind of doubts and the armored warrior cleaved the tuner in half [G: 1600-1100=500 LP]. _Now, I just have to hope she doesn't draw anything too strong._ Ghost drew another card. _I tribute summon my Divine Dragon Excelion (1500 ATK) And since it was normal summoned, It gains 1000 attack points from the copy in the graveyard.(1500+1000=2500 ATK)_

 _It's all over for you._ The dragon filled the room with holy fire, burning away the defending Iron Knight. [E: 200-700=0 LP] The Chosen of Despair watched the opponent collapse from the heat, and began the next step of her plan. She slowly walked over to the stunned girl, and finally knelt next to her. _No, stay still. Or this will hurt a lot._ The General had sent her an interesting piece of advice, and she was going to fulfill it now. She picked up a strange purplish bulb from her pocket. _This is a part of our Master._ The woman knew that her spells were binding the girl, and slowly lowered the object so that it was visible. As it neared Emika's face, it began to move, forming small tendrils that moved towards her.

But suddenly, Ghost pulled the writhing mass away. Emika would have thanked her, if some force had not bound her voice as well as her body. Whatever that thing was, she didn't want it to touch her. Then, the gloved hand began moving towards her again, and the girl could feel a cold feeling as the woman raised the shirt out of the way and pressed the thing against the chest. And then the pain hit her. The monster was melting her skin. The spell kept her well bound, for otherwise she would have began convulsing from pain. The feeling of the thing burrowing inside her was indescribably horrid. And now that it had melted the skin away, Emika could feel the object stitching the skin back together behind it, while other parts were sinking deeper and deeper into her. At this point, something inside her mind mad a quick estimate and decided that unconsciousness was the best solution.

* * *

 **Later**

As Emika came to, she was free to move. She was in her own bed. Perhaps all of it was a nightmare. She quickly took her shirt off, rushing to the mirror to see her body. But nothing had changed. _That was the freakiest thing I have ever dreamed of._ But as she stared more, something began to feel off. She couldn't quite place it, but something was wrong. Then, she got it. One of her eyes had changed color. It was exactly the same hue as the mass had been. _Oh no. Oh no. It can't._ Then, the eye twitched involuntarily some times, and then returned to the normal color. It was...that thing was moving inside her.

Not that the spell was no longer binding her, she was free to vomit.

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _This thing! Get it off me!_

 _Mei-san! You have to help me!_

 **Chapter 8-Infected Mail**

* * *

 **New cards in this chapter:**

 **Boundary Forterss**

 **Level 12**

 **Dark/Zombie/Synchro**

 **0 ATK/3200 DEF**

 **During each player's standby phase: Select a monster from that player's graveyard. That player summons it to their side of the field in face-up attack or defense position. Monsters summoned this way gain: „When this card leaves the field, it deals 500 damage to its controller" and „When Boundary Fortress is removed from the field, destroy this card"**

…

…

…

Emika?

 _It is moving inside me! Stay out of my eyes! Stay out!_

It seems like our host is currently...occupied.

On to the next card:

 **Spellshot Pollux**

 **Level 9**

 **Earth/Spellcaster/Synchro**

 **2500 ATK/2200 DEF**

 **When Spellshot Pollux is Synchro Summoned: Draw a card**

 **Whenever a card is sent from your side of the field to your graveyard, banish it. Then, based on its type, activate one of the following effects based on its type.**

 **Monster: Inflict 300 damage to the opponent.**

 **Spell: Reduce the ATK and DEF of target monster by 300.**

 **Trap: Gain 300 LP.**


	8. Infected Mail

**Chapter 8**

 **Infected Mail**

* * *

 **We are a little bit busy at the moment, but please give Mizushima Mei our regards. We will be issuing her our challenge soon, and for the sake of your health, we would like for you to make sure she accepts. Until then, you are free to continue your normal life.**

 **Note: We might be tracking you with the fragment.**

 **Note2: Trying to remove the fragment might have some very negative effects. As will not following our later instuctions.**

* * *

As Emika recovered and managed to clean up the mess, she discovered that Ghost had left behind a message about the "fragment" that currently was lurking inside her. _She is involved with them? But if they are going to challenge her, then not on their side, I guess. Juri said tha she had killer's eyes, and perhaps this is the cult she rescued Daiki from. In that case, if I show up with this thing, will she regard me as a ally or an enemy?_

Then, her train of thoughts was interrupted by a sudden jolt of pain as the creature moved inside. _I need to get rid of this thing! No matter what happens, Mizushima is my best bet._ For the first time, Emika did not know which was more powerful, self-preservation or curiosity. But as walked towards her destination, the fragment kept giving her shocks whenever someone got too close to her. _Is it sentient? And if it is a fragment, then what is the whole thing? Do I want to even know?_

But as she got to the house and Mei opened the door, Emika found out that she had left something out of her plans. As soon as Emika looked at the woman, the fragment began to rapidly trash around in fear, causing a sharp pain after another. The last thing the girl realized was collapsing, and then the pain ended.

 **Later**

 _It is bound now._ Emika awoke in a strange room, with an unknown woman next to her. The pain from the fragment had ceased. _It has taken over most of your vital organs, and removing it without breaking them would be impossible. But what we did was force the fragment ot completely meld into you body. Now, it can no longer move, although you are still in danger._ The possessed girl listened closely to the explanation as her life depended on it. And it actually did. _Is there a way to remove it?_

 _There is a certain system of...I guess "frequencies" would be understandable, which can be used to command it. One of those would make it repair your body and leave it. Many more would make it rip your organs to shreds and turn to acid. We can't guess what this particular creature will obey. Not without help from the ones who gave it to you._ So, she would have to meet Ghost again. This was not good. _Where am I?_ She managed to ask.

 _At Mizushima..no, Mei's house. .And I'm Sato Kagami, one of her co-conspirators and a pseudo-member of the Chosen of Hope._ Now, Amane could hear the door open and saw Juri enter the room alongside Mei. _I would say this was a new low from Despair, but it isn't. But you are a tough girl._ Juri wanted to say something as well, but had lost all words. Thus, Mei continued: _I wouldn't normally be this aggressive when dealing with a sick person, but that thing is more like an injury. We can't treat it without knowledge how it occurred. So, tell us everything you know._

Thus, Emika began to talk. About the mysterious death of Hideyori Aki. About his conversation about the Reaper. How Ghost had talked about the Reaper as well. Her duel with the woman, and the she struggled to explain the infection process. Finally, she gave Mei the message from Ghost.

As she kept talking, Mei kept looking at her emotionlessly, Juri stayed near her, helping her speak through the hard parts and Kagami paced around, seemingly sickened by the news. As the explanation ended, Mei was the first to speak: _Thank you. Some of your friends will be arriving here soon, and then we will explain this all better. But for now, you are no longer pained by that thing, although your body might be very sore. But with my skills in healing, I can't extract that thing._

Then, a small distortion appeared above Juri, taking the shape of an bestial face. _Neither is healing a skill of mine. Would Lotus be here?_ Kagami shook her head: _She is bound to my husband, who is still on the way here. It will take some days before we will have his assistance._ The apparition seemed confused by this: _You carry the scent of Despair, and are bound to a spirit of it. Yet you would marry your enemy and join his ranks, forsaking your own? I am not sure whether foolish, confusing or amazing would be the best word. Perhaps all of them._

 _Confusing is the best for this situation. But right now, we better get ready. Can you move, Anzai-chan?_ The girl tried to get up from bed, but all of her body protested against it. After some seconds which felt like eternity, she pulled herself to shaky feet. Then, Juri moved so that Emika could lean on her. As the girls moved towards the common room, Mei moved over to Kagami. _Explain all can to them. She gave me a clue, and I know that Anzai would pursue it no matter her state, unless I do it first._

 **Elsewhere**

Fukui Gorou was having a bad day, but things were slowly turning better. The police confiscated the portion of questionable goods he had left visible knowing the place would be searched. Happy with themselves, they had not bothered to do a more through search which would have revealed the bigger cache. Pinning murder charges on him had proved useless after the autopsy report had confirmed electric shock as cause of death. After all, as he had explained, Aki Hideyori was a paying customer, and thus there would be little sense in killing him. Gorou had kept to the mostly true story where he had purchased an used system, and allowed the boy to test it before delivering it to the actual buyer. If he had taken a reasonable payment from Hideyori, it was only to be expected. After all it was business he was doing.

So, he was walking free. He would have to keep low profile for a while, but he was free. _The police will be extra spiteful after this, so I will be under pretty strong supervision for a while._ The duel system had been confiscated and sent to the lab as well, so he would have to inform the contact about it. _That guy will have to wait..but what the hell actually happened? The Reaper said he would take the souls of those who lose..so did he hack into the system and make it malfunction lethally? Is that even possible?_ But as he walked to the entrance, he was stopped by the policeman next to him: _Your pickup is this way, and I have to say that you have the luck of a devil._

 _Pickup? What pickup? Some sort of ploy?_ Gorou had been slipping into his thoughts, but was awoken from it pretty quickly. _Okay, see what it is and think fast. That's the plan._ At the door there was a strange car and a oddly familiar woman standing near it. _I've met her before, but who is she?_ Gorou was on the edge of realization when the woman suddenly moved closer, shouting _I'm so glad to see you are okay, Dear!_ and hugging him. The dealer was stunned by this woman's strange act, but even more stunned as she whispered to his ear: _You are in danger. Act normal and come with me._ He gathered his with and found a suitably casual tone: _Yeah, yeah, no need to worry for me. It was a sad thing that happened to the boy, but it is not like they were accusing me of it. They just wanted to question me a bit. Ain't that true, dude?_ The last question was adressed to the policeman nearby, who somehow managed to keep his poker face as he nodded.

The duo had soon entered the car, and Gorou was clearly waiting for enough distance between the police and them before he would begin talking. _You are that DF rumor girl, Mizu..shima. What was that thing over there?_ The girl answered seriously, dropping the lovey-dovey tune she had used earlier: _I needed a reason to visit you that would not attract too much attention. Romance was as good an explanation as any other, and was the thing most people would have naturally concluded._ Gorou nodded through the explanation, then asked: _So, about the danger?_

 _You saw the Chosen's deck strategy, and the method he uses to execute his opponents. He is not going to let you live to tell it._ Now the man cured himself for stupidity. Of course that would be a possibility. But something made him wonder: _Your "Chosen" is the same person calling himself "Reaper"? Where is your name from?_ And the girl quickly answered: _Trust me, you don't want to know anything more. Just tell me how you found out about this..Reaper, was it?_

 _You have no idea about the Run? You didn't even know his call-sign? But you knew that he was dueling people and then killing them..so._ Realization dawned: _There are more people? Your Chosen are an organization? That duel people and the kill them?Some sort of underground gambling circle? This is crazy stuff._ Mei sighed: _You have no idea how crazy, but we can go with gambling ring. Now, I need a complete explanation what happened in your house._ And that she did receive. The police station was some distance away from Gorou's home, and he was speaking the whole trip.

 _So, what is the plan now? I can't stay here alone waiting for assassins, you can't... wait a second._ The woman simply nodded: _What would be more natural than me moving in to see that my boyfriend keeps to the all-ordinary life he promised he would live from now on._ But while the duo were making their plans, they had no idea that they were being observed.

* * *

The Hunter had listened to the local rumors and found his next victim. The man who kept defying the law at every point and had now caused the death of a young boy. _You can't be sure that he is a murderer, right, Justice?_ But the man partnered with the spirit did not change his plans: _Murderer or no murderer, his life is filled with crime. If he walks from the station, he dies. That is only just._ The planar knew better than to argue, but watched as Fukui Gorou walked free. But for some reason there was a woman picking him up. _It appears that even evil can be loved, Justice.. What now?_

 _We follow them, Gale. We find out where they will go, and we find out who she is._ And thus, the duo kept in pursuit, following the car until it stooped, and the two got out. _Gale, catch me their words._ The power of wind thus memorized the movement in the air, catching what the girl said and repeated the vibrations right next to the watching duo. _She wishes to redeem him. Gale, what must I do now?_ But the planar did not answer. _Answer me, my guide. I am lost._ Only now did the spirit answer: _I know nothing of the customs of your kind. You are Justice, and I am but the one who grants you power. You must make your decisions._

The duo found solid ground on a nearby rooftop, and there the hunter knelt down to think. _To punish the man of his sins would take away from him the chance to redeem himself. But to give him a chance may lead him to further evil. Thus, in the first the guilty is ruined, and in the second the innocent. Thus, I decree that an soul once tainted can no longer become is the sad truth of humanity. But the girl with him is innocent, and thus I must keep her safe. Justice shall not be blind, but neither will it be merciful. Is this acceptable, my partner?_

 _You have spoken well, my partner. Shall the blade strike down immediately?_ The boy kept thinking, but finally shook his head. _No, it shall cover of the night shall be the ally of law for once. Thus, the innocent will not see me and thus their lives are not forfeit._

While the hunter waited, his partner was deep in thought: _This guy is insane. He thinks I am some sort of a heavenly messenger and claims to be pure while he taints his hands in blood. But for some reason, I don't want to break his illusions. Is it because he is my Master?_ The planar had no idea what the feelings he was afflicted were. After all, trust and loyalty were not common among their race, and neither was the feeling of companionship.

 _He seems to accept my quest to hunt down Hope. For now, that is acceptable. And if I have to help him kill "that person" in kind, well, that is just perfect. If he wants to be a hero, then perhaps I will be one as well. Perhaps a wicked creature like me is just the type of hero this world deserves!_

 **Elsewhere**

 _Thanks, Mei,_ Kagami thought. She had been left in charge of the explanations for the two new Chosen of Hope, whose Guardians had been incredibly suspicious of her all the time. Thankfully, Daiki had been there to assist her, although that was the part that confused her the most. _Mei has taught him a lot of things about Hope, but all of the seven are already summoned! There is no way he could become a Chosen. Why train him then?_

 _So what is the plan now?_ Juri asked, and Kagami told answered after some thought: _The fact that they did not eliminate Anzai-chan proves that they are planning something. Until we find out what that is, we just have to keep our eyes open. For now, we stay on the defensive nad wait for the rest of the group to arrive._

Once again, they were forced to wait for the attack. But after what happened the last time they went on the offensive...no, she couldn't think like that. Even though they were all prophesied to be destroyed for the greater good. _A fact we never told the new ones. And judging from Noboru-kun's reactions, he doesn't know either. Perhaps they would deserve to know, but perhaps it is better to be unaware of your fate._

 **?**

 _And unaware they were. But they would not be for long, for the web of tragedy was already forming around them._

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _Justice makes his move!_

 _Despair makes its move!_

 _Is everybody but us doing something?_

 **Chapter 9 – Monster Reincarnation**


	9. Monster Reincarnation

**Chapter 9**

 **Monster Reincarnation**

* * *

 _Only few can join the ranks of the Chosen of Despair. There were nine of them, but the weakest has been culled from the ranks. Luckily, there is one warrior who can replace the defeated weakling._

This was not like any of the earlier places he had seen in his dreams. From the moment his mind had been noticed by the General, his dreams had been filled with strangeness. At first, he had dismissed them, but then the visions had grown more and more vivid. They had began to make more and more sense, and finally he had deserted the waking world for the General's corruption. Now, he had one more trial to overcome. Find a certain beast in this abandoned city, and destroy it. Then, he would have his Guardian, and would be the true warrior Despair needed.

Although the city had breathable air, it was still in a dome, surrounded by water and great darkness. All the light came from lanterns burning with strange purplish flames, ones that could be seen on the walls of every building. But no matter where you were in the city, you couldn't see the central area because it was completely light-less. But that was exactly where he had gone. And in the exact middle point of the city, there was a grand temple. It had been as dark as the others from the outside, but the insides were brightly lit.

 _Inside that temple, there is a coffin. Knock on it and issue a challenge to begin your trial._ Those were the last steps of his mission, so he would do it now. He walked down to the simple wooden coffin and knocked on it once. Then twice, and shouted: _I am Hawk, and I seek the power of Despair. Come out, whatever you are!_

The coffin slowly opened, and Hawk did not know what to expect. But as the thing emerged, all the lights expect the one above him suddenly went out and all he could see was a vaguely humanoid shape. _I accept your challenge, seeker Hawk. As the challenged one, I allow you to make the first move._

 **[Hawk: 4000 LP] [Creature: 4000 LP]**

 _I shall set a monster and a trap card, then pass._ Hawk had no idea what this creature would be doing. Heck, he had no idea what the thing was other than the description: _beast._ Thus, he let the unseen thing start its turn. _I summon Kick Man in attack mode, and boost it with Black Pendant and Ribbon of Rebirth. (1800 ATK)_. A pillar of light filled the room, revealing the zombie, now wearing the dark item and a cute ribbon, as it leaped at the face-down card. _You destroyed my Slate Warrior, which saps 500 points from that creature of yours._ (1800-500=1300 ATK)

The monster ended its turn with no reversed cards and thus Hawk was ready to start his strategy. _First I set a card, then I summon Bistro Butcher (1800 ATK) and activate my face-down card, Greed. Then, my monster hits yours!_ The butcher killed the defending zombie [C: 4000-500=3500], which returned to the field, reattaching the pendant to itself. [H: 4000-500=3500 LP] _And because you took damage from the butcher, you must draw two cards._ The opponent did, and Hawk ended his turn to let the opponent be pelted by coins. [C: 3500-1000=2500]

 _I summon my D.D. Survivor (1800 ATK), and then activate the normal spell, Release Process. I banish one monster and one equip spell I control to summon a "Hollowed" fusion monster from my extra deck. I select Survivor and Black Pendant._ Both cards vanished into a vortex, and out came a creature of wood, carved to resemble a human but left faceless. All over the creature there were holes, and smoke was pouring out of all of them. _Behold, Hollowed Pendant-Spirit. And with its special effect, upon being summoned, it can be equipped with a banished equip spell such as Black Pendant._ (2000+500=2500 ATK)

The spirit pointed at the Butcher, covering it it a blast of smoke. As the smoke faded, only a skeleton remained of the creature. [H: 3500-700=2800 LP]. _Then, my zombie attacks as well!_ The monster made a jump kick, but Hawk activated his trap: _I use Call of the Haunted to bring my Butcher back to life!_ As the skeleton turned back to the original monster, the jumping zombie stopped mid-flight and returned to the original position. _Well defended, challenger. Now, I set three cards and end my turn, thus returning my Survivor to play. And at the same time, Hollowed Pendant-Spirit deals you 500 points of damage!_

Hawk coughed as the smoke surrounded him, blocking the little he could see of the surroundings. The darkness was suffocating, and he gasped for breath. _I can't die here! I can't!_ As his desperation peaked he felt something snap and the spell vanished. [H: 2800-500=2300 LP] Then he noticed that a card he had never seen before had appeared in his hand. _My Guardian..thank you. Now, I will win!_

 _I attack with my Butcher, destroying your Zombie!_ The monster was destroyed, and a pile of coins formed above the opponent. [C: 2500-500=2000 LP]

 _Now, I summon Jutte Fighter and use it effect to switch your D.D. Survivor over to defense. Then, I Synchro Summon using my two monsters!_

 **Bistro Butcher (4) + Jutte Fighter (2)**

 **Flaws of the soul, gifts of the mind**

 **all shall be made equal by Despair**

 **Synchro Summon!**

 **Bring us balance, Herald of Neutrality**

As the chant completed, a strange angelic being descended from the skies. It had four wings, all covered in frost, and wielded a large crystal sword. The face of the creature was also covered by a visor of ice that was now dripping to the floor of the temple. (2100 ATK) _This is my Guardian!_ _No matter what you are, you are going down!_

 _Interesting. I sense much power from that spirit. More than I would have expected from you._ The monster spoke with its booming voice. _I have to apologize for underestimating you, seeker Hawk. But now, I will fight seriously._ Hawk quickly read through the new effect box and saw an opportunity. _If you like equip spells that much, I will equip your Hollow with Big Bang Shot. Then, I use the effect of my Guardian, sending one card I control to the graveyard._ The equip spell vanished, and with it also the equipped monster. _Of course, that activates Black Pendant_ [H: 2300-500=1800 LP] _but I can take it._

 _Because now I get to look at your hand and banish a card from it_. Spell of Pain, Broken Bamboo Blade and Dimensional Prison appeared above the creature, their light revealing more of it. It was a mass of skin bound together by strings of energy that looked somewhat like stitches. The body parts were not fully fitting together, and behind the knits one could see a dark reddish glow. Unlike the rest of the body, one of its legs was not a mockery of human flesh, but instead consisted of black, oily substance that was constantly flowing, creating the image of a hoof. _You are ugly. But now, I banish Spell of Pain, but don't you worry. In exchange, you get to draw a card._

Another, smaller pile of coins was now above the monstrosity. _That's three cards drawn, but then I use the second effect of my Guardian! I pay 800 life points [H:1800-800=1000 LP] to banish one card on your side of the field, but you get to draw a card._ One of the three reverse cards vanished, revealing itself as Soul Rope as it did. _Should have done those in the opposite order, really. But no matter, because he is taking damage equal to his life points now._ Thus, Hawk ended his turn and the enemy was buried under a mass of falling coins. _Well done, Seeker_ was the last thing the beast said before it vanished into the pile.

 **Elsewhere**

Night had fallen, but the sinful man was still awake. _Evil never sleeps, but Justice is aware of it._ Gust had used the same spell as earlier, distorting air around his partner in order to make the duo invisible. Thus, entering the building had been simple, and so had been locating the target. Now, all that was left was deciding how to begin the execution. _No flashy things, partner. I will just fuel your strength, and you will snap his neck before he has any chance to react. Then, I just gate the corpse away._ The planars suggestion sounded wise, but Justice had other ideas. _We can't just kill him out of nowhere! He needs to at least know he has suffered divine punishment. That is my responsibility as a hero._

The main problem with this suggestion was the woman somewhere in the apartment. If she were to see the hero at his work, they would be forced to kill her as well. Thus, Justice was now struggling between efficiency and his work ethic, and thus barely noticed her entering the room. _That's her. Don't panic, no one can see us._ The hunter had taken some panicked steps back, but now he was chiding himself of stupidity. If he had bumped into something, it would have been clearly noticeable and would have endangered the entire mission.

The he noticed that she was staring at the exact spot he was standing in. _I think I heard something over there._ She stopped for a while, and the duo moved quietly away from the point they had been in. _Something is wrong. She is following our movements, even if she is trying not to stare. And her stance is all prepared for combat. Who is she...no!_ Justice had no idea what happened, but all out of the sudden both of them turned visible. _DIE!,_ shouted the angry planar, and his partner felt multiple wind blades escape his surroundings and fly towards the woman. But before any of them could reach the target, a dragon appeared in front of her, blocking all the shots.

The surprise had been lost, and the hunter was now visible. _Are you with Despair?_ The opponent asked him, and he quickly answered, seeing the opportunity: _I am Justice! I am the blade that strikes down evil! With the messenger of heaven by my side, no one can oppose me!_ He then took a step towards the woman, still unaware what to do. Who was she? _You are not..Wait! You are the last planar!_ Now, he realized: _You are one of those who call themselves Hope! How dare you do so while your hands are filled with the blood of heavenly beings. Gust, here we go!_

The woman looked confused _: Heavenly? What...?_ , but the young man interrupted: _You are my enemy. I don't need to know anything else!_ As he said that, he rushed forwards,augmenting his speed and strength with the planar's power. His first strike was launched with incredible skill, but it was slowed down by a strange barrier and deflected by the woman. That also happened to the following three strikes, and as they missed, the opponent used the opening to land a hit of their own. The fist connected with the shield of wind Gust had quickly formed, but surprisingly, the man was launched backwards.

 _Needles emerged from your hand the moment you struck. If I hadn't used the wind to propel Justice away, his chest would have been pierced. But it seems like the powers of your Guardian work the same way as mine, augmenting from the inside._ Suddenly, the door slammed as Gorou rushed out of the room. Justice was still focusing on the opponent, but her concentration was broken by the sudden sound. Thus, the man used the opportunity to focus his energies and release a ball of still air. Before the Chosen could dodge, she was already bound inside a ball of air.

 _Keep her in. I will get the target._ Justice felt part of his power vanish as Gust slipped outside his body and flew to the top of the sphere in the form of a blurred image. _That spell steals the air surrounding her. To matter what she does, it won't help._ But as he touched the door, a sudden sound alerted him. _Watch out, partner!_ Like Gust and Justice had done,the enemy Guardian had also separated from the master, and the dragonic form had just released a volley of spikes where Justice stood. As the spikes pierced the sphere, air filled it and the master could get a breath in before Gust could close it again.

But for one moving with the speed of the wind, this attack was slow. Justce vaulted over the attack by kicking speed from the vault,and landed next to the prison sphere. He quickly linked his powers to it, allowing Gust to go free. And the planar did, by charging at the Guardian and smashing it to the other side of the room. _Nice try. But villains never win._ The barrier was lot more unstable now that Gust wasn't holding it, but Justice kept it tightly around the woman's face. She was struggling to press through the boundary, but it held strong even though it had to be made smaller and smaller. Both of the two were so focused to the desperate struggle that the sound of the spirits on the other side of the room went unheard.

Finally, the enemy collapsed inside the boundary. Justice still felt her life force, and knew that it wasn't over. She was merely focusing on the final attempt. Which came almost immediately, as she flipped up and dashed towards the boundary. But Justice would not allow that, and blasted her feet with a small tornado. She fell to the ground again, the sphere still firmly against her head. But now, she lifted a bandaged hand towards the man, pushing it out of the sphere. _What?_ Justice reacted quickly, forming a barrier between them, but the flame that shout out of the hand simply passed through it.

 _My face!_ Jutice felt his connection to the barrier fade and the opponent take quick breaths. He also felt that the energy he was sending at the flames was not extinguishing them, although he was keeping the fire from touching his skin. But despite his force keeping the fire away, it still felt like the heat was cooking him. Then, a surge of power hit him and the flames vanished. He finally opened his eyes, and saw that Gust had formed a similar field of stale air around him. _These flames...they belong to my brother! That thief not only killed him, but also stole his powers!_

Justice realized that he had collapsed during his mental struggle, and sluggishly got up to his feet. _Where did they go?_ The enemies had used the opportunity to escape the room.

 **Temple**

 _Well done, but not well enough!_ Hawk heard a sound behind his back and turned to see the opponent still standing. _My Damage Translation halves all effect damage [B: 2000-500-250-250=1000 LP] and I receive a token for each hit affected this way!_ Three phantoms now accompanied the Survivor.

 _I summon level 3 Tuner Comrade Swordsman of Landstar, and initiate a Synchro Summon!_

 **Comrade Swordsman of Landstar (3) + D.D. Survivor (4) + Ghost token (1)**

 **Power means nothing in face of Despair**

 **Weakness is a bliss to be embraced**

 **Synchro Summon!**

 **Emerge, Devourer**

Energy surrounded the beast as I pushed its hands against its head. Then, in a single move it ripped of its face, pushing it to the energy flow. (100 ATK) _I banish my final trap card to set your monster to 0 attack, and then I finish this!_ The separated face smashed against the opposing guardian, disintegrating it on impact. As the monster faded away, Hawk also collapsed, sharing the loss it had suffered. [H: 1000-100-2100=0 LP] _Thank you, seeker. With your life force, my body is finally prepared._

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _Gust enraged versus Silver re-powered!_

 _Hope makes its move...finally!_

 **Chaper 10- Burst Impact**

* * *

 **Cards in this chapter:**

 **Release Process**

Spell card

Fusion Summon 1 "Hollowed" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck by banishing monsters and equip spells on your side of the field as Fusion Materials.

 _A new way of summoning. Cool, but why does it have to be in the hands of our enemies?_

 **Hollowed Pendant-Spirit**

Level 6

Earth/Machine/Fusion

2000 ATK/1100 DEF

Black Pendant + LVL 4 or higher monster

When this card is Fusion Summoned, you may equip it with a banished Equip Spell. During your end phase, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

 _This card can burn your points pretty fast, especially if it grabs its namesake equip. And judging from the name, there are more Hollowed!_

 **Herald of Neutrality**

Level 6

Water/Fairy/Synchro

2100 ATK/1000 DEF

Once per turn, you may discard a card to look at the opponent's hand. Banish a card from it, and the opponent draws a card.

Once per turn, you may pay 800 LP to select a card on the opponent's side of the field. Banish it, and the opponent draws a card.

 _Well, it is certainly neutral, giving draws to the opponent. Bt getting rid of their best cards on hand and field is worth that, and in a Greed deck, this angel is evil. Good luck we won't be facing this._


	10. Burst Impact

**Chaper 10**

 **Burst Impact**

* * *

 _The thief has not escaped. I can sense her on the street._ This was the first time Justice had ever seen his partner this angry. _That fire..it was planar fire? And on the street..that's bad. We should retreat now._ Gust completely skipped the last question, but then turned towards the young man. _Why delay? We can easily catch her, and then track down the sinner._ But Justice was not convinced: _It's not yet completely dark out there. Our battle would attract onlookers, and pulling innocents into this is something we should avoid. Even if she is willing to risk it._

At the same time, Mei has standing outside the door, catching her breath. _Good_ , _Gorou has gotten into cover. I must find some place where we can fight safely. I don't trust that the planar or his host will care about collateral damage._ She took a couple more deep breaths, focusing on the heat generated by her hand, pushing it back under the skin. _Silver, can you match the planar? The master seems fairly inexperienced._

But there was not time to get an answer, for the door slammed as a sudden gust tore it open. A blur shot towards Mei, and Silver created multiple obstacles between them. The opponent was nimbly avoiding the traps, but the incredible speed dropped enough for the woman to avoid the initial strike. And as Justice landed from the dash, he turned visible again. _You trusted that you could kill me in a one swoop? Bad thinking!_

As the girl finished her sentence, Justice hopped backwards. The woman had tried to capture his attention by speaking, hoping that the attack that now hit the position he had been would have gone unnoticed. _She was underestimating my senses. But she's right, Gust. This was foolish._ The planar had ignored his points about retreating and forced the battle to continue out of hatred. He understood hatred very well, but would have expected a celestial to be above it. But now, he again felt the Guardian and the planar clash their might, and the Guardian was driven backwards.

As Silver lost the clash of wills, Mei punched the enemy, who slided to the side effortlessly. Against a thug, he would have appeared to move instantly. But against a Chosen whose body contained residue energy, the move was full of openings. So, she simply kicked the leg he was balancing on, and as he stumbled, she used her other hand to deliver a strong punch into his jaw. The man reeled back, and the planar intervened by creating a wind wall between the two. _You okay, Silver?_ The dragon weakly replied: _I can keep do that two or three times. No more._

Justice cleared the cobwebs from his head and let magic flow into his sore jaw as Gust refilled his energy. _I see her strategy. The dragon binds Gust, Gust breaks free, but in the meantime she fights me. Her spirit is similar to mine, so she has been augmented the same way as I have been. So, I start going all out, so you focus on smashing the dragon._ Two shots of metal neared him, but he twisted his body to avoid one and leaped over the second, using the air around him to turn the jump into a leaping kick at the woman.

Mei easily sidestepped the attack, but that was the entire point of it. She realized too late that even without direct contact, the air pressure of the attack was massive. The pressure was mostly neutralized by a haphazard barrier by Silver, but it was still enough to sweep her of her feet. In this situation, even an inexperienced opponent had the perfect chance to end it. But instead,the opponent instead slowly drove their fist back, and then forwards, throwing a highly telegraphed punch surrounded by spinning air. _Now I get it._ Mei's realization was accompanied by a small jet of flame from her fingertips, forcing Justice to abandon the attack in order to guard his eyes from the spouts. When he reopened his eyes, Mei was once again standing.

 _That was a perfect attack. How did she recover that fast?_ At least this time, Justice had got the hang of blocking the fire. _I can't just use force against it, I have to drain the flames._ He had missed this opportunity, but based on the feedback from his partner, the Guardian was out of power. After the next clash, Gust could destroy the woman. _Good. If this ends fast, we might avoid dragging other people to this._

 _He approached me in melee, so I thought he specializes in it. But he has no martial training at all! That style he uses is from some movie, and he has convinced himself that it works. And with that much augmentation, a normal person would have no chance._ But despite the lack of skill, the power was a problem. Silver couldn't go any more rounds against the planar. She would have one chance. One.

But both fighters were suddenly interrupted by footsteps. Someone emerged from the shadows. Justice kept his eyes on Mei: _Please go away, please go away._ But as the sound neared once more, the person could be recognized. It was his target, Fukui Gorou. _He is carrying something heavy. He thinks I don't notice him. He is trying to..ambush me. To save his partner?_ But Justice had no time to ponder of the motivations, as something flew towards him. _Useless_ , he shouted as he conjured a vertical blade of wind that slashed the object it two. But the spell did not end there, but instead followed to the source and cut into the target.

But as pieces of the object landed near him, Justice felt something sticky on him. He looked down to see the remains of a gas canister and a puddle of gasoline in which he was standing. He then looked up to see a blast of fire he had no time to intercept. _This is going to hurt. Help me, partner!_

He barely managed to finish his thought before the flames ignited.

 _Gorou!_ The man had had all the opportunities to escape, but instead he came back to help her? As the blade of wind pierced Gorou, Mei realized what his plan had been. _I won't let your sacrifice go to waste!_ She saw the planar of wind leap towards the Master, but it was too late. Her flame had already hit the ground, and the enemy vanished in a fiery explosion. _Goodbye._ As the flames grew higher, Mei called Silver to her side. _Are you okay?_ The dragon nodded: _Time to finish this._

The fiery explosion had almost finished him off, but at the last moment, Justice had applied his lesson of draining the flames. And despite his quick reaction and natural toughness, his body was covered in hot ash and small flames that were slowly being extinguished. He now stood inside a small tornado, which was funneling away the smoke, sucking air from the fires, and at the same time providing him with breathable air. _That was close. But I guess that is the last of her._ Just at that moment, something disrupted his tornado. The woman stepped through the whirling mass of energy, her hand drawn ready to strike. She ignored the heat, she ignored the wind, she ignored all. In her eyes, there was only intent to end him. Her hand slashed down, glimmering with strange energy, and pierced through the remaining defense.

Mei felt her hand sink into the opponent, ripping a massive would in his stomach. The enemy reeled back, but she followed him, focusing even more energy to her artificial hand, which had taken the form of a jagged blade. And as Justice tried to escape, she simply stepped to the side, and grabbed the man. As the man struggled to get free, his head turned for a moment, and that was all Mei needed. With all power her body could gather, she drove the spike through his temple. A second after the blow, the man collapsed to the ground. But as the man hit the soil, everything was covered in green light. A whirling portal like Mei had seen only days before had formed right beneath the body, and she was too slow to stop the body from being sucked into the portal created by the planar. And right after the Master had passed through, the planar followed, closing the gate behind it.

And that was the last thing Mei saw before her body run out of energy, and she collapsed on the street.

 **The next day**

Kagami stepped into the quiet house, wondering what was going on. She had received a strange message from Mei, containing nothing else but the demand to come immediately. The street had marks of battle and lingering traces of magic, both of them boding ill for the people living..well, at least the sender had to be alive.

As she moved further in, she heard conversation from the room: _I thought avoiding the police was hard, but invisible assassins are something else. Should I hire you as a full-time bodyguard now?_ She stepped inside, and saw a strange man talking to Mei, who was currently lying in bed and tapping on a laptop. Mei was covered in scratch marks, burns and various other wounds to which also damaged-looking Silver was administering cures. And the stranger was also heavily bandaged, mostly in his upper chest. _Oh, you came. Name's Fukui Gorou, owner of this residence. And currently involved in something very strange involving blood feuds, invisible assassins and this flame-shooting girl and her pet dragon over here. Who also has explained very little, and that little went mostly over my head._

Kagami did not now how to answer to this rant. _You're wounded? What happened here?_ Mei was the one who answered: _It was Gust, the last planar._ _And his partner, a young man who calls himself Justice and Gust_ _"heavenly being". They came here last night, it ended up in a fight and this guy decided to intervene. Gust decided to pay back, but luckily shot high and only almost cut his arm off. Then, I returned the favor, but they retreated trough the Wall._ _In the same manner that has been damaging it, so I guess we can rule Despair out of this. And "Justice" was hurt, but nothing that can't be fixed._

 _Can't be fixed? You impaled his brains! If that is minor damage, I would hate to see what is major b your standards._ Kagami ignored the shocked man, turning to Mei. _Is that why you came here? You thought that he was in danger?_ But this time, Gorou spoke: _It looks like many people want to get their hands on me. I witnessed a match between the late Hideyori Aki and Reaper who works for "Despair" and now they want me dead. This madman was just a bonus._ Mei closed her laptop, nodding to Kagami: _I just contacted some people. We will be hearing of Reaper soon, and I needed someone to duel him. The kids might do something stupid if they heard of him, so you are our best choice._

 _Some people? Do I even want to know?_ Mei did not question whether Gorou wanted to know, but explained: _He has been killing normal people with a supernatural method and gloating about it. There is a certain agency who doesn't like it, so they are going to send him an invitation he can't refuse._ _Until then, we can focus on installing my duel system._

 **Spirit world**

The world was disturbed. Strange energies warped here and there, distorting the landscape and creating a giant cage of floating debris ripped from the ground. But the one behind this destruction did not pay any attention to the damage it had caused, for it stared at the injured man in the middle of the clear. _The Chosen of Hope was cunning and brutal. My master's body is already dead, and his soul is fading away._ However, death was not going to stop him from completing his vengeance. Carefully, very carefully, the planar began to insert energy to the soul, feeding it, while at the same time finding the invisible lines that bound body to spirit. Those lines were cut, one by one, and as the last one snapped, the soul was free to be stored. Now, all Gust had to do was rebuild the body.

Now, the body of Justice was wracked by strong winds, entering his body and blowing away dying tissue from the corpse and funneling raw energy where there now were holes. That energy slowly repaired the boy, recreating his body while repairing his chest wounds, sucking out skull fragments from his brain and creating a whole new head shaped just like the original, but now fused together with magic. As the process continued, the storm around them began to pick up, tearing into the land more and more and shattering it to tiny pieces of magic that could be absorbed and used as building blocks.

As the spell finished, Gust reversed the separation he had did earlier, and the spirit returned to the newly constructed body lying in the middle of a new-created wasteland. After some moments of silence, Justice opened his eyes. _Where are we, partner?_ Gust explained the place and the fact that he had healed Justice, but did not tell him the extent of damage he had sustained. _I see. But why did we fail to win, Gust?_

 _I know._ The man continued: _We had lost our guidance. We focused too much on stealth and tried to kill a sinner from silence. We tried to prevent the world from knowing of us. But if our power is a gift, then that gift should be shared. Let all the world see our might and learn to fear our heavenly powers!_ Justice finished the last sentence with a smile on his face, and immediately began to laugh hysterically, collapsing to his back while doing so. _I finally see it! I had my doubts, but no I know for sure that I am following the true way!_

 **Gorou's room**

 _So, how does this work again?_ Kagami was looking at the screen, which now showed a duel invitation from "Reaper". _Special match?_ She had registered her deck and sideboard, and as she accepted the invitation, the conditions of the duel popped up.

 **Toxic Magic**

 _Players start with 8000 LP. At the end of each player's turn, both players lose 100 LP for each spell played during that turn._

 _Should I take some spells out? Or add a couple in?_ After some thinking, Kagami went with the former, taking some non-vital spells away from her deck. As she readied, the match started with a coin flip, giving the first turn to the opponent. A message appeared in the chat: _I have no idea how you found me. But you will be destroyed._ A Iron Chain Repairman took the field, followed by a set card. Heaven's Lost Property flashed into existence, followed by a quick-play Serial Spell. _Both players draw three, discard two and then do it again?_

After both players had fixed their hands, Kagami was holding seven and the Reaper two cards. Then, the Repairman struck the ground with a hammer, breaking the ground and summoning Iron Chain Coil. _That's just the thing he pulled out it the last game, so better watch out!_ As Gorou finished his sentence, the two monsters vanished into the summoning circle, and the opposing Guardian emerged. (2400 ATK) Another card was set on the field, and then Reaper played the last card in his hand: Shallow Grave. _Both players set a monster from their graveyard? I'll set my Jinzo, just in case._

Then, the reaper began to gather power by sweeping the scythe around. [R: 8000-900=7100] Three cards popped up on the screen: Magic Cylinder, Copycat and Trick Tuner. As they entered the graveyard, the reversed Jinzo was placed in Kagami's hand. As the turn ended, the field took a greenish hue, damaging both players due to the special rule.

[R: 7100-300=6800 LP] [K: 8000-300=7700 LP] (26 cards in deck)

It was now clear what the opponent was planning. But with the multiple draws, he had given Kagami quite many options to defeat him.

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

Sato-san's cards are reaped away, one by one.

Will our group actually be involved in anything this time?

And what of Gust and Justice?

 **Chapter 11- Foolish Burial**


	11. Foolish Burial

**Chapter 11- Foolish Burial**

* * *

 _You surely don't think I'm going to let you hold all those cards? I activate Bubble Crash, forcing you to discard cards until you have 5 left!_ Kagami tapped on four cards from her hand, sending them to the graveyard. Now, the opponent had one face-down card, their Guardian, and a face-down monster. _I should go defensive for a while. Three cards face-down, then one monster face-down_. After the turn passed, Reaper paid more life points, activating Iron Chain Reaper again [R: 6800-900=5900 LP]. Three cards were revealed from the top of Kagami's deck: Trap Stun, Sanctified Soil, and Morale Boost.

 _A trap, so one card returns to my hand._ The game paused for a moment, but then the opponent made their decision, returning the reversed monster. Next, the other reversed monster flipped, and Magician of Faith appeared (200 ATK). _I return my Heaven's Lost Property, and play it._ The limited card was activated for the third time in the duel, and both players drew three cards, then discarded two. _Combat step!_ flashed on the screen, and the small magician attacked against the field of three traps. _That's not going to pass, activating Mirror Force!_

Despite the weak initial attack, both the reflected blow destroyed the magician and the reaper. But as the shimmering shield vanished, the Reaper was back in play, attached to a Call of the Haunted. The creature attacked, and this time, the attack connected [K: 7700-2400=5300 LP] _I activate my Damage Condenser, discarding a card to summon a monster from my deck with less ATK than the damage is just took._ A great number of suitable monsters were already missing, but Kagami found one: _Bowganian (1200 ATK) in attack mode!_

 _Main phase II! Since my Reaper was re-summoned, I may use its effect another time! [R: 5900-900=5000 LP]_ This time, Kagami discarded Cyber Shadow Gardna, Thorny Bind and Prismatic Maiden, and her final face-down returned to her hand. _Then, I end my turn after setting one card._ As the opponent ended their turn, the greenish hue attacked both players again.

 **[R: 5000-100=4900 LP] [K: 5300-100=5200 LP]** (15 cards in deck)

 _Oh, the special rule. Spells deal both of us damage._ But now, Kagami had a plan. At the start of her turn, Bowganian dealt damage to the opponent [R: 4900-600=4300 LP]. _I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your reversed card. The, I activate Mystical Stone Excavation, discarding my hand to take it back. Finally, I play MST again, destroying your Call of the Haunted._ Reaper's side of the field was now completely empty. The monster fired yet another shot [R: 4300-1200=3100 LP], and Kagami ended her turn, activating the special rule again.

 **[R: 3100-300=2800 LP]** **[K: 5200-300=4900 LP]**

 _You put him in a corner, Sato-chan. The Reaper has been thinking for quite a while._ Fukui commented, and was correct. At his house, the Reaper was staring at the two cards in his hand, trying to figure out what to do. _1 card in play, 14 in deck, that means 25 in the discard. My cemetery bomb is very useful, but not in this case. But it would be a shame to toss it away. Maybe set both cards in my hand as a bluff? No, if I had drawn something good, I would have already played it. She knows my hand sucks. If I stall one round, I'll be taking 1800 points minimum. So, here goes nothing._

 _Monster Reincarnation, discarding Cemetery Bomb._ As the trap entered the graveyard, Fukui sighed: _That's the card that killed Hideyori. Good to see it gone._ But Mei was not so happy: _But the card he takes back might be worse._ And the card that returned was instantly played, Iron Chain Repairman (1700 ATK). The new monster crushed the archer, and Kagami took damage from the battle, the effect, and the mist [K: 4900-500-300-100=4000 LP] while Reaper lost some points as well [R: 2800-100=2700 LP]

Now, Kagami needed a good draw to turn the tides. _Junk Synchron (1300 ATK) in attack mode, and I summon Trick Tuner from my graveyard in defense mode._ The new card was less useful, but the Reaper didn't seem to get anything great either. One monster was set face down, and then the attack position monster was crushed by the Repairman [K: 4000-400-300=3300 LP] Both players were in top deck mode now, but Reaper had a better field.

Luckily, the card Kagami drew was useful. _I tribute Trick Tuner to summon Cybernetic Magician, who destroys your monster!_ [R: 2700-700=2000 LP]. But the opponent was ready to return the offense blow-for-blow. Mask of Darkness flipped up, revealing Call of the Haunted, and after the flip summon, the field was swept into a dark hole. Finally, the trap was set, ready for the next turn.

 **[R: 2000-100=1900 LP] [K:3300-100=3200 LP]** (12 cards in deck)

 _It doesn't take a genius to guess what card he is going to bring back with that Call of the Haunted. You'd had better draw something very good._ But the card Kagami drew was no good. One reversed monster appeared on the field and at the end of the turn, Iron Chain Reaper returned. The opponent activated the monster effect once more [R: 1900-900=1000 LP], this time hitting Magical Mallet, Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu, and Staunch Defender. Now, Reaper was thinking: _I could hit her well, but she would survive. I need life points, so Drain Strike on my guardian._ The boosted (3000 ATK) creature attacked, draining life from the opponent while discarding the card it had earlier bounced. Combined with the effect of the mist, the Reaper was very well off [R:1000+1500-100=2400 LP], while his opponent was even worse off [K: 3200-1500-100=1600 LP] _One spell off from finishing her!_

Now, Kagami looked at her deck. It had eight cards left, and the next draw would most likely seal her fate. So, she drew, and saw one of the cards she had added to her deck. _Reaper, you made one mistake. You used the same strategy Fukui had seen before._ That message appeared in the log before she set her card. The Reaper began his turn: _Speak all you can, but I drew a spell. Unless that thing stops my attack, this is over._ And the reply came: _What attack?_ Then, the trap turned over. _Trap of Darkness. So, you lose 100 points and activate a trap from your graveyard [K: 1600-1000=600 LP]. Had better win you the game._

A card rose from the depths of the darkness. A card Reaper knew very well. _Blasting the Ruins!_ There were 31 cards in her graveyard, most of them placed there by his strategy. _No!_ The trap flared, and the skeleton onscreen vanished into a massive explosion. [R: 2400-3000=0 LP] And as the battle ended, Kagami felt Alice leave her side and vanish into the machine. _It's all over. He won't be harming anyone ever again._

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

 _Justice, are you sure this is wise? You still haven't recovered from that battle._ Gust was trying to talk sense to his partner, who would have none of it. _I must contiue my quest. Even if my body is broken, my willpower will move it forwards to victory. Evil cannot be allowed to triumph!_ Hr took one step forward, regaining his balance and pushing the pain back. The next step was easier, and soon he felt no difficulty at all. _It is stil daylight, so we cannot act yet. Instead, it is time to gather data on the Chosen. And if that person appears...I will finish him. Even if my justice is corrupted to vengeance._

Gust knew his partner well enough not to interrupt while he was thinking of his most important target. _Should we seek him out? Or will we continue the fight here?_ And Justice answered, finally telling what he had been planning earlier: _We will continue hunting evildoers. But we will not make them vanish. I will force Hope to see what is happening on their turf. And when they come after me, I shall be ambushing them._

* * *

 **The following day**

Gorou's residence had become an unofficial base for the group, who were currently putting everybody up to date. _You went and eliminated the man who killed Aki-kun?_ The newcomers were glad that the online threat was no longer there, but Emika for one was upset that they had been excluded from the match. _So, we have other members of Despair to worry about, and then possibly Justice and Gust. But you said we were getting reinforcements?_

Mei explained what she currently knew: _Takumi will be here in a couple of days, Chiyo and Amane sometime afterwards._ Saito was counting with his fingers: _And with the two of us, that amounts to six. What about the seventh one?_ Silence filled the room, until Kagami finally answered: _Last year, we attacked Despair and he..._ and Mei competed the sentence: _Died. Sacrificed himself to defeat the enemy._

 _You must understand. We aren't invincible. One of us is dead. Emika could be killed at any moment is Despair chooses so. We are all at risk of a sudden demise. Our skills have carried us here, but random chance has had a much of an effect. So, prepare yourselves for the worst._ Silver spoke directly to the rest of the group, revealing itself to them for the first time. Then, Juri spoke up: _We are already in this, aren't we? We have our Guardians, so we must fight. Emika-chan is possessed, so she must follow. But Daiki-kun, what are you? You aren't a chosen of Hope, and you don't seem to have anything special related to you._

 _I know. I could turn back at any moment. I have never been involved in a battle with Despair, so they would leave me alone. But I refuse. I have already seen what those with powers can do to the powerless. Even if I have no Guardian, even if I am normal, I won't give in. I will help you all. And we are friends, aren't we. I won't leave anyone behind._

 _Morale speeches already? This group is a lot livelier than those before. I hope this mood survives first contact._ This time, Silver spoke to Mei privately. _It won't. Soon, something will happen. And you know what we should do, don't you?_

* * *

 **?**

 _Two down. One victory. Seven Chosen left, with only one bargaining chip earned. Now, I must use it, and turn the battle to our advantage. Now, seeing the way those people think, what would be the most useful strategy?_

 _Perhaps this would be the correct play. Ghost, follow these orders exactly, and you will win._

* * *

 **Evening**

During the night, a message arrived in Emika's room. _Challenge at noon. Use the attached dreamcatcher. Bring Mizushima Mei, and one other person at most. No others. Failure to follow these instructions will result in activation of the parasite._ There was no signature, and the girl had no idea how the message had arrived. _Well, a certain someone could have walked through walls._ Having no other options, she then contacted Mei to inform her about the changes. The reply from her was concise: _I'll inform Daiki_. _Meet you at the hideout._

It was clear that the veteran Chosen had a plan, and it somehow involved Daiki. All the girl had to worry about now was that the plan did not involve sacrificing her. _I might trust Mizushima-san, but she is just the kind of person who could use people for the greater good._ But with the fragment of the Devourer inside of her, Emika had no choice but to go along with the plan.

At the same time, Mei was checking her notes. _The package should have arrived. I'd had better go pick it up in the morning. After all, that is our back-up plan._ Then, she crumbled the note she had gotten from Red. _Tomorrow. A life on the line. Silver, are you thinking what I'm thinking?_ The Guardian gave her answer, and Mei returned to adjusting her deck for the upcoming showdown.

Kagami was thinking about the events that had happened earlier. It was good that the Reaper was gone, but Gust worried her. Takumi would surely do something stupid if he heard of the planar. _He hates them. He hates all of them for what Quake did. I won't let him face that pain again. I will take care of Gust and Justice for his sake._

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _What has the third General planned for me?_

 _A gambit?_

 **Chapter 12-Checkmate**


	12. Checkmate

**Chapter 12-Checkmate**

* * *

 _We are ready._ Mei and Emika sat inside the spell circle on the floor, eyes on Daiki, who was focusing on the memories shared to him by Silver. _I can't channel Silver in this condition, so Daiki has to do it. Now, focus on the dreamcatcher, and we will all end up in the same location. And when we end up, remember. They have all the aces, and if things go wrong, someone will die. So, stay focused._

Daiki finished the spell and joined the two inside the circle. As the rest of the group watched, all of them fell asleep, quickly passing through the wall of sleep, guided by the catcher card that had vanished, it's power expended. _They are out of our hands now. We must trust Mei to keep Anzai-chan safe and to remove the parasite from her._ Juri muttered, and Saito nodded. _In the meantime, we three should watch over this place. Wait, three? Where is Sato-san?_

They looked around, and saw that Kagami had vanished into thin air. _Where did she go?_

 **Spirit world**

 _They certainly picked a place for this duel._ They had materialized into a clearing near a giant chasm on the ground. And based what Daiki saw, there was no bottom to it all. _A bottomless hole, and a small crossing._ Mei pointed to a wooden bridge that crossed over the entire length of the rupture, and then, on a figure that was on the other side. A woman Emika recognized easily. _Ghost. That's her._

 _Greetings, Chosen of Hope. Glad to see you followed my invitation._ A voice boomed from the other side, magnified by some force. _But seeing that there are three of you, I hope you don't mind I invited a guest to the show!_ Only now did the group see a hooded figure, floating behind the Chosen of Despair. Then, the figure spoke with a strangely alluring voice: _Greetings. I have come here as a representative of Testament and the force that draws you to battle. It is my purpose to see that the rules and conditions of the duel are agreed on and that they are followed._

 _Nice of you to prepare a judge! Should we just trust you?_ To her own surprise, Emika shouted at the woman that had led her to this situation. Ghost turned to look at the stranger, who then continued to speak: _I am not allowed to lie. I am completely impartial to both sides of this war, and here only as a judge._ This time, Silver was the one that replied: _That thing speaks the truth. It is a simple magical construct, but created with amazing skill. But the question remains._ And Mei completed the thought: _What does Ghost gain from bringing it here?_

 _Now, to the actual conditions._ Ghost began to speak, and the other side quieted down. _We will be playing a one-on-one duel with me and Mizushima Mei as participants. As usual, the loser will forfeit their life._ Mei nodded: _So, she just wants a normal game?_ The veiled construct created a magical parchment, and wrote something down. _But, as I won a shadow duel against Anzai Emika earlier, her soul is also rightfully mine. So, that will be part of the bet as well._ Daiki nudged on Mei's hand: _I trust you. If you need my soul, you can ante it._

 _But I will be generous! I shall name one condition, and if you fulfill it, you will win her soul back._ Silver realized what the situation was. The additional condition would be something very dangerous, and was there to distract Mei. If the condition made her do sub-optimal plays, the duel would threaten her chances of winning. _Name it,_ Mei shouted. Despite the risk, she was not going to let Emika die without trying to save her.

 _The condition is simple. Fail to follow, and I will command the parasite to rip her heart. Complete it, and I will cast the spell that removes the parasite from her, and relinquish all rights on her soul. She will have another chance. And the condition is:_

 **[You do not Set any cards during the duel]**

The scribe finished writing down the terms, and the turned to the Chosen of Hope. _Are these rules acceptable?_ Daiki stared at Mei. _You can't use traps or face-down creatures. That's impossible. We have to decline it._ Even Emika looked distraught. _It's my soul on the line, but that handicap is just too much. She can't do it._ But Mei took a step forwards. _On three conditions. First one is that I want to clarify the additional rule. It shall only refer to me voluntarily setting a card, not by your Mischief of the Goddess or Shallow Grave._

 _Accepted._ Ghost agreed, and the stranger marked something down. _Second, I want ten minutes to prepare, and you must agree to not observe my deck-building for that time._ The construct turned to look at Ghost after hearing this: _I must warn you. If you agree, I will that full extent of my powers against any attempt to observe the enemy._ But the duelist waved it away. _I don't need to see your deck to win. Accepted._

 _And finally, a rule. The terms related to Anzai Emika are held on their own, despite any effect to the duelists._ Ghost looked puzzled at this, so Mei clarified. _You must pass the counter-spell to the judge so that they can remove the parasite after the match, when you are dead or otherwise incapacitated._ Ghost smiled: _Very well. It's only fair, even though you aren't going to win this._ As she said this, the judge began to shine with a blue light. _I have downloaded all information from her. As both sides agreed on the match, we will begin in ten minutes. I will now remove Ghost from the combat area._

As the Chosen of Despair vanished, Daiki and Emika shouted: _What?_ Silver, who was floating above Mei, also looked troubled. _The handicap is very high on this. Even if you avoided their wording, you are in great danger._ But Mei was still focused. _We have no time. Daiki, give me your deck. I need some cards from it_. Anzai-chan, go somewhere where you can't see or hear us. She can't observe us, but that parasite might be recording us, and it can send it all to Devourer. And the General listens to it, and tells everything it knows to Ghost.

 **Elsewhere**

Justice was annoyed. It was daytime, and no criminals in sight. Earlier, he might have been happy at this, but after his defeat at the hands of Hope, he had grown increasingly restless. _Curse you all. I know that the darkness still lurks here. If it was gone, I would rest, but instead it hides._ At the same time, Gust floated before the contractor, wondering what it should do. _When I repaired his mind, something went wrong. He is becoming increasingly erratic and a massive liability for my secrecy._ Then, it suddenly realized that it was being observed.

A little girl had appeared on the rooftop, and was currently standing behind them. _Greetings, guys!_ The hunter turned around to see the speaker and realized that it was a spirit. _Greetings. And you are?_ Gust warned him: _A spirit of Despair. Yep, Alice is one. But I'm a good girl, so don't be scared of me, right?_ The duo didn't drop their guards, however. _Where is your Master, and what do you want of us?_

 _Alice's Master is not here. But they heard that you fought against Hope, and sent me to ask about your plans._ Gust thought for a while: _An alliance is out of the question. My brother fought against two of your Generals and was killed by one. Too much bad blood. But if you tell me what you want, we can agree on staying out of each other's way. Right, partner?_ And Justice finished: _I don't really care about Hope or Despair. All I know is that this city is mine, and I will protect it from evil alongside my divine ally. Wreak any havoc, and you are my enemies. But if you wish to kill that criminal in their ranks, be my guest. Or Mizushima Mei. That woman has the soul of a murderer._

 _Alice will tell master that. See you again!_ The girl formed a barrier around herself, and began to fade from sight. Just before she vanished, she said one last thing, very cheerfully: _Oh, Planars are not divine! Just thought you would like to know!_ But the revelation did not affect Justice: _As if they could break my trust in you with some petty lies. Next time I see that Alice, I will force an apology out of her._ Gust chuckled: _No need for such things. Her words did not injure us, and I wouldn't want you to hurt a child, even if she is a spirit. But if she tells her Master about us, we might earn a good ally._

 _Teaming up with Despair, that really isn't my style. Those people just let their emotions run all wild, while a good person would keep them all under control. Hope is no better, because they have become completely emotionless. How can you know you are doing wrong if your heart can't guide you?_

 **Spirit world**

 _Time's up. Hope you are prepared._ Emika hear Ghost announcing the end of the intermission, and returned to watch the duel her life depended on. Mei walked to the bride, seemingly prepared to take on the enemy, while Daiki stood back. The strange representative floated above the duo of enemies who now stood on the bridge that was suspended over nothingness.

 **[Ghost 4000 LP] [Mei: 4000 LP]**

 _I'll go first. I activate Mind Monster, which allows me to name a card in your extra deck. If I'm right, you take damage equal to half its attack. And I name..Silvermist Dragon!_ A ghostly outline of the Guardian monster appeared on the field, but just as sudden as it appeared, it faded away. _What? How did that happen?_

 _I don't have her in my extra deck. Simple as that._ Ghost stared incredulously at the Chosen of Hope before her. _But the bond with Master and Guardian is unbreakable. There is no way you could remove her from your deck._ Stunned with what was happening, Ghost set one of her cards face-down on the field and signaled a passed turn. _It is breakable. We have done it once before._ Now, the Chosen of Despair looked at Daiki, and saw the draconic form floating above him. _You are now longer a Chosen of Hope? That means you gave away your right to duel me!_

 _On the contrary, Madam._ Said the enforcer. _The terms were that you and Mizushima Mei undergo a duel. Status as a Chosen was not included in the rules._ Now, Ghost was losing it. _I made one mistake, but that won't change the course of this match. I will defeat you, and rip that girl's body to shreds for your trickery._ But the opponent reacted to this with laughter: _You made two mistakes. First one he pointed out. And the second is that you failed to specify the special condition._

 _Ghost, you have been completely outwitted. I surrender._

 **[G: 4000 LP] [M: 4000-4000=0 LP]**

As Mei's points reached zero, Ghost took a step towards her. _I have no idea what you wished to accomplish, but you are a loser!_ A spectral blade appeared in the woman's hand, and she drove it through the opponent's chest. _You are dead, Mizushima._ The wounded woman, impaled by the blade, turned to look at Daiki and Emika. _My eyes are too hazy…I can't see them._ She opened her mouth to speak: _Sorry._ But she never got any further, as Ghost simultaneously pulled out the blade and kicked her off it. Mei felt as the world had halted as she slowly descended past the bridge, falling deeper and deeper into the abyss. Then, the emptiness from her chest spread to her mind, and she took her last breath. _Silver. Thank you._

Higher up, Emika was holding back Daiki, preventing him from running to the bridge. _She died. She died._ The new Chosen of Hope kept repeating this, tears in his eyes. Then, Ghost spoke up. _So, should I kill your friend next? Poor boy, losing you mentor and friend on the same day._ But again, the stranger intervened: _I believe I have a final judgement to make. Mizushima Mei did not Set any cards during the duel. That means your right to Anzai Emika's soul is relinquished._ Then, it completed the spell it had learned earlier, releasing the tune that eliminated the fragment inside the girl.

Only now did Ghost realize what she had done. _The Chosen are still in full force. Our bargaining chip is lost. I won. I won. This was a victory._ But now, Daiki spoke, clearing tears from his face: _We won. Mei-sensei won. Ghost, keep this in mind. The next time we meet, I will kill you!_ The ghostly dragon behind him shifted as well, protruding multiple spikes from its body. _No. No. Nooooo!_ With a scream, the Chosen of Despair stepped away from the dream, ending it.

 **Secret headquarters (Gorou's apartment)**

 _She is dead, isn't she. I thought that she had outwitted us too, and would actually be here. And Silver would laugh at us for falling for it. But she's dead._ Daiki was mumbling, mostly to herself, but also to Emika. Gorou was talking to the doctor about his girlfriend. His terminally ill girlfriend, whose time had now come.

 _I found this. From her room._ Emika put the letter down on the table. _Written last night._ The note was simple:

 _I started this, but won't be around for the end. Ask Silver about the box sent by Red. Say hi to Takumi, Chiyo and Amane for me. And don't do the same thing as I did. Keep your emotions._

 _-Mizushima Mei_

Now, she was gone. Her plan had worked. She took Daiki with him in case she sensed a trap. Noticed the flaw in the conditions. Used the rite of transferal to give Silver to Daiki, one of the spare people who had had the potential of becoming her Master. Rescued Emika's soul and destroyed a shard of the Devourer. _I can't be sad. She was a fighter to the end. Now I need to be one. Silver, I might be new, but I'm in your care._

As Daiki said this, Silver shattered to shards. _She is no longer bound to the form set by her original Master,_ explained Tenebra _. She is now your Guardian._

* * *

 **On the next step of the Journey:**

 _Takumi ambushed?_

 _How far can Despair go?_

 **Chapter 13-Burden of the Mighty**


End file.
